I work at a school district. Our solution to this sort of problem was somewhat different. For us, absenteeism means you don't get to play sports. The athletic office actually uses the student information system to track student grades on a week-by-week basis, too, and if you fall below a C average overall or if you are failing any one class you don't play until your grades come back up.

Fortunately, the school board supports the policy when idiot parents go to board meetings and complain that this is unfair.

The location of Valdez, ALASKA is critically important to this conversation. Their sports teams need an exceptionally long travel time in order to play other schools, and so miss Fridays while students from other schools located in sane locations don't.

I'm far from a sports fanatic. My take on this is to eliminate away games, and not eliminate Fridays at school, but there are other possible benefits to 4 day weeks as well. This has actually been brought up with the 5 day work week as well... 4 days of 10 hours would save on commutes, gas, may result in less stress, more leisure time, etc:. I don't think it's as crazy as it sounds.

My mom's company takes every other Friday off.

Back when I worked a real job we all worked 4-10 hour days a week, split here and there to provide coverage. I'm now self employed so I work when I know I can make profits.

My dad is currently on a 12 hour shift schedule where he'll be on a few days, off a few days. He's rather enjoying the pleasures of having weekdays off after decades of working 6am-3pm Mon-Fri.

Weekdays off are really useful. Just as long as you don't have everyone taking the same weekday off, then you get the same Saturday problems. I farking hate Saturdays in retail locations.

"The school board has already adopted a five-day calendar for next year," Knight said.

So you better hope you don't get laid off or fired before next year.
This is just like most colleges. Only a fool of an administrator schedules classes for friday. You don't want to be trying to cross the street on Thursday night in front of the school where I teach. It's worth your life.

Isn't there a certain n - 1 issue here?

Bacon Bits: I work at a school district. Our solution to this sort of problem was somewhat different. For us, absenteeism means you don't get to play sports. The athletic office actually uses the student information system to track student grades on a week-by-week basis, too, and if you fall below a C average overall or if you are failing any one class you don't play until your grades come back up.

Fortunately, the school board supports the policy when idiot parents go to board meetings and complain that this is unfair.

I can hear the parents now.... "MAH BOY HAS NOTHIN BUT SPORTS! IT WHAT HE LIVE FOR!" or "HOW IS MY BOY SUPPOSE TA GET ONE OF THEM SKOLARSHIP IF YU DONT LET HIM PLAY BASKETBALL! HES GOING TO THE NBA LIKE LEBRON HE DONT NEED GRADES"

YouPeopleAreCrazy: Car_Ramrod: Big difference. I would think the solution would be to change sports to work around school, not the other way around.

Football
High school - Friday
College - Saturday
NFL - Sunday

Change that at your peril.

Okay, if you miss school on Friday, you don't play Friday night.

Besides, isn't the point of high school getting an education? Why should football players get special treatment?

HAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm kidding. I'm from Texas - I know it's a religious observance.

My High School's solution to tardiness was to have homeroom in the middle of the day. That way, you could get to school as late as 11am-ish, and still be counted present for the whole day.