At Fraser High School, there are many hybrid classes offered to students. A hybrid class consists of both in-class and online learning, which is determined by the teacher and the students’ grades.

   These hybrid type classes allow students to have flexibility during the school day and allow them to adapt to more open schedules. There are many different viewpoints on if hybrids are beneficial and if these classes are affecting our school’s integrity.

   It is argued that hybrid classes can make some students feel less than others because of their grades being lower, keeping them from scanning out.

   Hybrid classes can be super beneficial yet super harmful at the same time; it just depends how each student treats this opportunity. Staying caught up with work can allow students to have free time which is good, because it creates a more realistic and adult-like environment. Students can use hybrid days in a positive way such as extra studying time, getting more sleep and feeling ready to go the next morning, and having time to work an actual job and make money if all is caught up with school.

   Some may even believe that being able to scan out of SMART should be removed, even though these students have earned their way up to that privilege.

   SMART was originally created as an hour at the end of the day for students of all grades to be able to collaborate and work on homework together. Yet the school started allowing juniors and seniors to leave early, with good grades and attendance. With most of the juniors and seniors leaving, only the freshmen and sophomores are left over. This defeats the purpose of SMART class itself because there are no upperclassmen to help the underclassmen.

   Some students are not able to scan out because their grades are not at least 80% These students are not able to get high grades like this due to learning disabilities and struggles. It is argued that a C should be good enough to scan out since not everyone has the ability to get a B in all of their classes.

   Hybrid days can be super beneficial for students who excel in their classes as well as teachers that are in charge of these hybrid schedules. We surveyed some teachers and asked if hybrid schedules make things easier for teachers since they do help for most students. 

   “Yes, for sure easier on teachers. Our schedule is brutal….everyone else teaches 5 out of 6 classes…hybrid is our only break” said Fraser High School math teacher, Athena Kovalcik.

   Kovalcik also agreed that hybrid days can help prepare students for their future. She believes hybrid provides students with a more flexible schedule and helps prepare them for college.

   Lots of students abuse the hybrid privilege, though. Kovalcik shared that her hybrid class students do seem to have lower grades than her students that are in non-hybrid classes. 

   For another point of view, we asked a SMART teacher what her opinion is on leaving early. 

   “Do you think that SMART being open campus currently benefits upperclassmen?” 

   “Benefits how, they get to leave if they have the grades, but they can also get pretty sassy when they get denied.” Said SMART and Spanish teacher, Karen Davis. 

   Davis brings up a good point with attitude. Giving students these rights can create some push back. 

   Students who don’t have the grades or attendance to leave can tend to try and fight back or get upset that they have to stay, creating other problems such as students sneaking out or just skipping school in general.

   Another teacher asked about hybrid classes is Anne Cook, a SWAT teacher at FHS. 

   “Do you think kids benefit academically from hybrid classes?” 

   “I believe it depends on the student. I don’t believe it’s good for all kids. There are those students who need the structure of class time and working independently may cause some to procrastinate” Said Cook. She brings up another good point of self control and procrastination.

   Even students who do meet the criteria for scanning out might not have the best of self control when working remotely on their own. This causes teachers to keep encouraging students to stay and get their work done versus procrastinating, and potential late work.

   Overall, hybrid classes and SMART scan out may or may not be a good idea for the school depending on how the students choose to treat it. This situation could be reconsidered and possibly revoked in the upcoming years due to the mistreatments of the system.