The school board for Plainfield Community Consolidated District 202 on Monday approved plans to reinstitute an overlap schedule in the fall at the high school in response to growth.
An overlap schedule was used in the 1997-98 school year and through the first semester of the 1998-99 school year, when the district last January opened the 20-room Freshman Center.
This year, 2,500 students are in a school with a capacity for 2,400 students, said Principal Tom Hensel. Next year, about 2,900 students are expected to be enrolled, he said.
When the Freshman Center opened, Hensel thought the school would not need to use an overlap schedule again because the district will open a second high school in fall 2001. But growth has strained the ability to use classrooms efficiently next year, he said Tuesday.
Under the plan, seniors and juniors will attend classes in the first seven periods, from 7:25 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. Freshmen and sophomores would arrive when the third period starts at 9:16 a.m., and go to classes until ninth period, to end at 3:41 p.m.
Hensel said about the only other option studied was using a split schedule, but officials determined that would have too many negative effects on extracurricular and athletic activities.
