State rules on Hope High School schedule

Students at Hope High School who have protested a schedule change at the school, may have just won their case. State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist has just issued a ruling that says the district cannot reduce the amount of time teachers have to meet and plan, one effect of the schedule change.

Many students at Hope High school raised concerns about the new schedule, which has classes meeting more often but for shorter periods of time. Providence officials say the change was part of an effort to standardize high school programs throughout the district.

The district can appeal the ruling but has not yet said whether it plans to do so. The decision does require the district to restore common planning time for teachers, but it does not explicitly require the district to return to the schedule that existed at Hope High up until this September.