Janelle Pantilon, Staff Writer

Mills’ administration is discussing the possibility of a newer, more effective Flex model as lack of attendance and sign-ins increase.

Everyone at Mills is familiar with the Flex program, a period each Wednesday and Friday where students sign into a class of their choice and spend their time on any academic matter. Despite the positive light that has been shone on it over the years, recent drawbacks have been witnessed by staff.

Prior to the program in the 2015-2016 school year, the Student Intervention Team, a committee organized by Ms. Mack, a counselor here at Mills, sought ways to help any student struggling due to academics. They attempted after school tutoring, however it wasn’t frequently utilized due to students’ responsibilities outside of school. 

The committee acknowledged the fact that students had outside obligations and decided that a free study period built into the school day would be most accommodating. That’s when they discovered the Flex model from fellow San Mateo District High School, Aragon.

The proposal was pitched to faculty and students for insight, and in 2016, Flex was piloted. “The idea of Flex was for students to have the choice for a space to decompress, work, or even talk to friends,” shared Mr. Headly, Flex committee member and math teacher at Mills.

 Ms. Mack explained, “Students enjoyed the spare time and teachers were able to help students with one-on-one support without it spilling into their break times or after school.”

Fast forward seven years later, and Flex has continued with students each year using it for both their classes and time with friends. But this year, concerns have risen; the number of students signing in and remaining in class the entire period has been rapidly declining. 

On December 1st, it was noted by the committee that the largest number of students ever did not log into the Flex system: 552 students out of 1,087. 

Unlike traditional classes where a teacher takes the role of each person present, Flex only allows admin to know where each student is if they enter their student ID in the network. It doesn’t record tardies and absences or send that information home. Essentially, no accountability is held for these individuals which fuels the dilemma as they know no consequence will be faced. 

This raises an issue to teachers and faculty. A majority of students are known to remain on campus, but it’s a matter of where. By law, it’s the school’s job to ensure its scholars are on Mills grounds. “If not, it puts the school in a bind of not keeping students accountable,” added Ms. Mack.

It’s a toss up about what to do because it’s been expressed that good things do come out of Flex with it allowing students flexibility and freedom to how they spend their period. Bianca Pando (10) praised Flex: “As someone who does outside sports, I’m not given much time to complete my work but I don’t stress too much because I know I have Flex to use.”

Sophomore Grace Flores (10) added, “I enjoy Flex and think it’s a good free chance to catch up or finish work.”

Nonetheless it purely works if the greater number take advantage of the time reasonably. If attendance continues to worsen, the future of Flex could look especially different. “We don’t want to take Flex away from students who use it well. At the same time we want to make sure others are further using that opportunity,” expressed Mr. Headley.

There’s thought of reshaping it into an advisory class, similar to freshman advisory, where a smaller group of students each have a teacher whom they check in with during that span of time. Advisory takes attendance of all people and consistently keeps track. 

Contrary, mentioned flaws were students potentially feeling “forced” to be present and the additional workload on the teachers’ end to teach another set of curriculum. Numerous teachers use Flex to grade, create new lessons, and even decompress, and advisory takes away that spare time.

Pando (10) clarified, “Advisory last year focused heavily on social skills when in reality, most students are worried about their academics,” continuing, “If we had an advisory class, it should include future plans like our colleges interests or goals after high school and strategies to balance homework, tests, or finals.”

Potential solutions suggested were installing homerooms, where students would be assigned a specific teacher to whom they check in with and later disperse to  different classes. A hybrid model consisting of Flex one day and advisory the other, or even making phone calls home for the people who aren’t in any classroom, was also considered. 

The overall importance of these solutions is to preserve student autonomy and freedom during Flex while also keeping students accountable for their own safety while at school.

Decisions have not been made yet regarding the change of Flex. These are solely discussions being made across the administration to find the best result for everyone. If you want to add input on this decision, members on the Flex committee accept your thoughts and enjoy feedback. Reach out to any teacher or staff involved: Mr. Headley, Mr. Debois, Ms. Duszynski, Mr. Ding, and Mr. White.