KAYA LOY
Good afternoon Mr. Jaurigue, Ms. Specter, Ms. Bernstein, Ms. Colgan, Ms. Wyman, Ms. Guy and Mr. Payne,
My name is Kaya Loy and I'm a junior at Los Alamos High School. As an active member of our school's Student Leadership program, I value student input on district level problems. Although Calendar A or B would be sufficient to meet the state requirements, Los Alamos Public Schools must use Calendar C for the 2023-2024 school year in order to provide equity for students who have experienced learning loss and mental health struggles.
By choosing Calendar C, our public schools will be able to accommodate students who experienced learning loss during COVID-19, along with students who also experience mental health difficulties due to school work. A study conducted by NBC News in 2021 (source C on document) found that “56% of teens said their stress… increased compared to before the pandemic.” Students in Los Alamos County more than likely have experienced learning loss over the course of the pandemic, due to the condensed school days online. By choosing Calendar C, there are enough breaks to accommodate students who experience immense amounts of stress and burnout due to homework and extracurricular activities, but also not too many breaks where students who have experienced a learning loss over the past few years will fall behind even more. Although our current calendar setup doesn't have too many long breaks, students need a fall break and a longer Thanksgiving break in order to rest and be able to manage their stress properly. As a student who experiences intense amounts of stress due to AP classes and extracurricular activities, I extremely value time off school in order to protect my mental health. Choosing Calendar C will ensure that these students will be given the proper equity they rightfully deserve.
Ultimately, the School Board needs to pick the calendar that benefits as many students as possible. Calendar C is the best option to assist students who have experienced learning loss and mental health struggles. If Calendar A or B are chosen, these students won't be able to succeed if the calendar is unbalanced and unreliable. The School Board must think about the student body as much as possible when making this decision.
Thank you so much for your time and I hope you all have a great day!
Sincerely,
Kaya Loy
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