Student representatives tell board heavy, overlapping assignments drive stress; call for staggered finals and flexible due dates

A student representative told the Tumwater School District board that an anonymous student survey found a clear pattern of students facing several major assignments at the same time, particularly around semester ends and breaks, which contributes to stress and decreased engagement.

The student, Courtney, summarized the survey results and recommended several changes, including department-level coordination of finals weeks and ‘‘more flexibility and understanding with staff’’ on due dates to help students balance schoolwork with sports, jobs and family responsibilities. ‘‘As one student put it, if this policy was implemented, this would allow students to be more well rounded people rather than well rounded students,’’ Courtney said.

The report also highlighted nonacademic concerns that students raised: bathroom safety, vaping and drug use, bullying and social-emotional challenges. Board members thanked the students for the thorough report and asked staff to circulate the survey results to board offices for follow-up.

Board members said they appreciated the suggestions and the level of student engagement. The board did not take formal action at the meeting on the survey recommendations; staff and board members discussed possible next steps for sharing the survey findings districtwide.