After a month of consecutive early release Wednesdays, reaction from faculty and students remains mixed. In an attempt to compensate teacher for reduced planning time which occurred as a result of budget cuts, ” students are dismissed at 2:15 p.m. every Wednesday instead of the at usual time of 3:30 p.m.

Orchestra and drama instructor,Maureen Fallon said she  supports the policy and appreciates the extra time.

“It gives me a little more time to catch up on paperwork and keeps me from working on Sunday afternoons,” Fallon said.

Early release Wednesdays were introduced in the 2013-2014 school year, as a result of complaints filed by teachers because the number of periods they have to teach increased to six from five. Originally, the policy called for early release only one Wednesday a month, but as the complaints began to pile up, the early release days increased first to every other week and this year to every Wednesday.

Government and Economics teacher Robert Sarver said this extra time is being used effectively.

“Worst idea that I’ve encountered in the 10 years that I’ve been here, from a teaching perspective,” Sarver said. “I quit the teachers’ union because they do [stuff] like this.”

The new policy has been an adjustment for students and faculty alike.

“I like it a lot more this year because it is every week,” junior Clara Castor said. “I am able to plan to do more homework on Wednesdays since I have more time, which is helpful because I usually have a lot of work due on Thursdays and Fridays.”