School Board reinstalls early release Wednesdays

The Manatee County School District has brought back early release Wednesdays, but on a modified schedule.

In a 4-1 vote Monday night, the board approved early release days for one Wednesday a month — except in January and April.

The district says the move will provide extra time for teachers to participate in workshops for the Common Core curriculum.

Across Florida, Kindergarten and first-grade students started their Common Core education this school year. By next year, the standards will be fully implemented in second grade, with phasing in for grades three through 12.

Manatee County schools first adopted early release Wednesdays for the 2007-08 school year. 

Citing inconvenience and stagnant text scores, the board discontinued it in for the 2012-13 academic year.

Dismissal times on early release days will be: 1:15 p.m. for elementary schools; 2:10 p.m. for middle schools; and 12:30 p.m. for high schools.

A calendar with early release dates will be available on the district website. 

Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected].