10 May 11–17, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents those living in poverty — have less access to resources, including mental health services that some families couldn’t otherwise afford. “And you also have to look at the children that have 504 plans or disabilities [Individu- alized Educational Programs] and things like that. It’s taking the education further away from them,” the volunteer continued. “They already lost so much time during COVID, and now it’s putting it even more in jeopardy.” Some parents fear that a four-day sched- ule would hamper the development of social and behavioral skills. Working mothers and fathers have also cited childcare concerns, and some are worried about what kids will do on the weekday they aren’t in school. Could less supervision introduce a rise in ju- venile delinquency? Four-day school weeks are also on the ra- dar of the state Legislature. Senate Bill 2368 passed the upper cham- ber in late April and would ban four-day school weeks altogether. The bill, which was referred to the House Public Education Committee last week, would force Texas districts that have made the switch to return to a five-day schedule. Much of the research about four-day school weeks is new, having been published over the past three to five years, said Emily Morton, a research scientist at NWEA, a re- search and educational services organiza- tion. On average, NWEA is seeing “small- to medium-negative effects” on test scores. (Student scores in four-day school districts generally aren’t growing as much as they are in regular districts.) Still, evidence suggests that four-day dis- tricts with longer days aren’t witnessing the same bad outcomes as those with shorter ones, she said. Those in more rural areas are also seeing detrimental effects that are “small or actually not statistically different from zero.” Morton noted that some districts cite fi- nancial concerns when launching a four- day schedule. Yet savings are often relatively minor: around 2% of the budget on average, she said. One positive outcome is that four-day districts have seen reduced rates of bullying and fighting in schools, indicating a possible improvement in the overall school climate, Morton said. And kids unsurprisingly love four-day weeks, she added: More than 95% of stu- dents would choose to stay on such a sched- ule. But it may not be good for every child, both in terms of tangible learning outcomes and less easily measurable consequences. “Kids we might think about are students who might not have a safe space at home, or might not have access to nutritional food outside of school or caring adults,” Morton said. “Those are the kids that I really worry about on this schedule.” ▼ GUN VIOLENCE TRAGEDY IN ALLEN POLICE IDENTIFY GUNMAN IN ALLEN OUTLET MASS MURDER. BY KELLY DEARMORE P olice have identified Mauricio Garcia, 33, as the man who allegedly killed eight and injured several more on May 6 at the Allen Premium Outlets, ac- cording to multiple reports. Police killed Garcia at the scene. Authorities say Garcia opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets around 3:30 in the afternoon. WFAA reported the next day that FBI and other law enforcement personnel searched a pair of locations believed to be places Garcia had lived recently, including a home in North Dallas and a motel. “FBI agents showed up Saturday evening, neighbors said, and had been there ever since. They say the suspected shooter was in his 30s and had lived here for as long as any- one can recall,” the report noted. Many eye witness accounts from the shopping center mentioned the shooter wearing all-black and using an assault-style firearm. According to WFAA, Garcia’s attire was nothing out of the ordinary, as he report- edly worked as a security guard. “Neighbors say the suspect always wore some kind of security guard uniform, al- though no one says they ever saw him with any kind of weapon,” the report stated. “They say he was very quiet, but they say they did notice certain unusual and quiet behaviors.” The Washington Post reported Stewart F. House/Getty Images Flowers and a stuffed animal are left at the scene on May 7, the day after a shooting at Allen Premium Outlets. Unfair Park from p8 >> p12 Movie in Concert Get Tickets at dallassymphony.org ™ & © Universal Studios MAY 19-21
Dallas Observer flipbook 05-11-23
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