Arkansas School Considers a 4-Day School Week

It sounds like a plan hatched by a high school senior class: To save the school district money, students should no longer be required to come to school every weekday. But adults, not students, are the ones who conceived this plan. Money is so tight in parts of Arkansas that several school districts are asking their school boards to consider a switch to a four-day school week. They say the switch would save money on transportation, food, and utilities. Most parents, perhaps still too shocked by the news, have yet to weigh in.

In other ironic developments, a 17-year-old high school valedictorian from Fresno, Calif., is being deported after he collects his diploma at a commencement ceremony on June 10. Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say Arthur Mkoyan and his mother must return to Armenia, a country they fled when it was part of the old Soviet Union. The family has been seeking asylum since 1992, but their requests have been denied. Now, the student, who had plans to attend the University of California-Davis in the fall, is asking a local congressman for help. But, short of federal legislation that creates a path to legalization for students like him, it appears unlikely that Arthur will get to stay.

When Florida students return to classes in the fall, they will be sweating a lot more than usual. Florida Gov. Charlie Christ signed a bill this week that requires elementary and middle schools to offer 30 minutes of daily physical activity. Despite a bill that lawmakers passed last year ordering elementary schools to offer 150 minutes of physical activity a week, too many kids apparently were not getting enough exercise. Will vending machines come under legislative assault next?