As students of Burnaby School District SD41, we are deeply troubled by the proposed 5-block per-day plan that may be implemented in 5 out of 8 high schools in Burnaby. It is proposed to be a nearly 8-hour day for high schools all over Burnaby for the 2025-2026 school year. An example of the potential school day starts at 8 am and ends at 2:16 pm, or 9:25 am and ends at 3:41 pm.

This presents a considerable burden to students with extracurricular activities; sports teams, volunteering, clubs, and performing arts departments would be affected, as well as diminishing our already limited homework time and less time for us as students to explore our passion. For example, I volunteer to help elementary students with their music and math before and after school (till 9:00 am, and starts at 3:15 pm), however, if the 5-block per-day plan is in place, I along with many others similar to me, will not be able to offer our services to those in need and do what we love.

Additionally, the new 5-block per day plan could seriously disrupt before and after-school classes and clubs, such as band, drama, after school clubs,school sports team, student government, and leadership, which many students rely on for their education and passion. One potential solution might be to schedule these classes before period 1 and after period 5. However, this raises concerns about timing. For example, if before-school band classes, which currently last about 1.5 hours, were moved to before period 1, they would start as early as 6:30 am! For students who live further away, this could mean commuting for up to an hour, making their mornings even more challenging. Not to mention students who attend band and then have classes starting at 9:25 am would be left with a full period of downtime. Is it responsible to allow them to wander around the school for an hour and a half? This situation would result in students staying at school for over 10 hours! Which is extremely excessive and takes away from their personal time, and the same goes for after school classes.

Moreover, such an approach makes it even harder for those among us who are easily overwhelmed. A more chaotic school day with fewer breaks is not conducive to learning, especially for those who need additional support. As for teachers, their time would also be infringed upon, with less time to set up for the next class or create amazing lesson plans, as well as more work burden and longer hours, potentially causing the staff shortage to worsen.

We urge you, the Burnaby school board, to reconsider this idea and maintain our current scheduling framework. Technical and practical difficulties aside, a change this huge might well leave lasting impacts on the overall well-being of both students and teachers. Please, for the sake of our education and mental well-being, stop and scrap the 5-block per day plan. Sign the petition to make your voice heard.