Flexible High School Hours

Ericka Mellon:

It's shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, and while most of her peers across Texas are in school, 18-year-old Angelina Banda is driving to her $7.50-an-hour job at Home Depot.

"I need Pampers," said Banda, who has a 2-year-old daughter and a 4-month-old son.

The young mom is enrolled in a special program at Houston's Furr High School, which allows her to attend class in the morning and work in the afternoon.

Similar programs designed to keep teens from dropping out of school could become more popular thanks to a new law that makes it easier for districts to obtain state funding for students with nontraditional schedules.

Evening, weekend classes

State Rep. Scott Hochberg, who proposed the bill, said he hopes it encourages districts to offer evening or weekend classes for students who must work to support their families and cannot attend school during the conventional 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. day.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 16, 2007 12:00 AM
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