Alessandra Ashford

In a recent Warrior Update, Westwood students were surveyed about their opinions regarding Flex, as its end was being considered. But the administration needs to let Flex remain, as it is crucial to student life.

Due to updates to Texas’s attendance guidelines, Flex for the 2023-2024 school year was shortened to 20 minutes, as opposed to the previous year’s 40. This greatly inhibited student’s free time, and the majority of students were disappointed in the shortening. Recently, a Google Form was shared in the weekly Warrior Update asking students’ opinions on Flex, sharing that the administration was considering cutting Flex entirely.  After hearing this news, many students are scared of losing their valuable break time. But Round Rock ISD should know that Flex is a integral part of student life at Westwood, and should not be removed.

Students use flex to do homework or study, which is a vital part of Westwood student life. Between rigorous AP and IB classes and multiple extracurriculars, students often come to school early and get home late, which makes for a busy schedule with little time for anything else. Flex provides a time for students to do assignments they might not have time to do otherwise and also provides a time for them to work on group projects or get help from their peers.

Many students use Flex to take a test, quiz, or talk to a teacher. With the intensive academics and busy schedules, students frequently need to retake tests and quizzes. Many also need to talk to teachers about make-up assignments after missing school, and student’s and teacher’s schedules don’t always line up. Because of this, a period where both teachers and students are free is a necessity.

Flex can also be a time to hang out with friends. Many students enjoy Flexing into their favorite teacher’s classroom to play a game or just to talk. It provides a break from a difficult schedule, and students rely on it to spend time with their classmates, especially those whom they might not have a class with or see very often. If students only had classes and no free time, they would struggle more in school.

Further, Flex is also the only viable time for many clubs to have meetings, and if it’s cut, many clubs will have a much more difficult time organizing. Additionally, many clubs hold officer meetings during Flex, and oftentimes, students are busy both before and after school, making Flex fundamental to the functionality of clubs.

If the Round Rock ISD school district gets rid of Flex, lunch periods will be extended by 20 minutes. While some might see this as a fair trade-off, it will have negative consequences. Lunch is automatically assigned at the beginning of the year, which means that students can’t choose who they’re with or where they are, but they can during Flex, giving students agency.

Flex is an essential part of Westwood student life, and if it is not kept the way it is, it needs to be extended more. When Flex was shortened, disappointment was voiced, and the best solution would be to expand it back to 40 minutes so that students have an opportunity complete tasks that they may not be able to do after school.