Spring break is a much needed time off where students and faculty go on vacations, catch up on work or just hang out with friends and family, but now it has been cut short. The second week was important because it is when students and faculty can do these things, plus it was a better time to make up snow days.

Some students go on vacation the first week of spring break and then work on schoolwork the second week, but with only one week students won’t think to do their schoolwork or they won’t have time to relax. If they don’t get to do these things, then it kind of defeats the purpose of spring break for students. The reality is that students will most likely choose to relax over catching up on schoolwork and there are some students who could really use that time to do schoolwork, but they won’t do it the first week of break and without a second week they just won’t do it.

The second week of spring break was a better time to make up snow days, than at the end of the school year because most students don’t want to stay any longer. Even though students want to get out of school at the end of the year, summer break is already long enough and adding the extra week to summer wasn’t necessary because most people are ready to do something different by the end of summer. The week was in better use with spring break because the time is needed more at that time.

Cutting the break shorter also affects the teachers because a lot of them catch up on grading work and planning for the rest of the year. The teachers deserve a break and if they have to do school work the whole time, then they will be just as stressed as they were before break. If the teachers choose to not catch up on grading though then it stresses out the students more.

A short spring break, despite backlash from many students, is one of the most beneficial decisions this school board has ever made. The typical second week of break was seemingly unnecessary and only served the purpose of cutting into our school year and shortening the amount of summer vacation days.

While many students and their families chose in the past to use a week out of spring break to travel, and many are complaining that this year they won’t have time to do so. There was plenty of time over winter break to go on vacation, and there will be over even more opportunities to get out of town over summer. Sure, we all need a break, but what harm will a few more weeks of the St. Louis area really do?

As students in the FHSD, we are incredibly lucky to have as many days off as we do throughout the year. Our teachers and administrators have over 20,000 students to educate throughout the school year, and every second of that year they use is vital. By cutting the last week of spring break, we’ve been allowed to get out of school for the summer a few days earlier.

If a student can’t be responsible enough to complete their homework within a week, how do their grades survive in day-to-day life while school is in session? How students use their time outside of school is up to them. We, as students, have a commitment to ourselves, our schools and our education system as a whole to take the time out of our lives and get our work done.

By taking away that extra week of spring break, our district officials are working in our best interest. Not only will we be in school to do our job, to learn, but we’ll also be out of school that much sooner. Generations of students in the past have gone with short breaks, and even no spring break at all. Students in the FHSD should consider themselves lucky they even get a break at all.