X-block needs to stay. Here is the backstory:

Last week, an investigation by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) found that the high school was 56 hours short of the state-required 990 hours of “structured learning time.” On Sunday, Head of School Anthony Meyer announced that there would be changes made to the weekly schedule to comply. Initial proposals from the administration would put X-block only into four-day and special week schedules (i.e., MCAS week), likely cutting more than half of the total X-blocks. X-block is the cornerstone of advocacy, leadership and community at the high school; it is what makes us so special. The vast reduction of X-block would greatly hurt clubs, limit the time when students can meet with teachers and hinder school government.

Why is X-Block so important?

X-block is a weekly block dedicated to high school clubs, Legislature, Judiciary and time for students to meet with teachers. The importance of X-block is in its name. X is a variable; it gives students optionality, freedom and opportunity. High school is quite busy, and having time to meet with teachers, retake tests and prepare for exams is key to managing one’s academic workload and stress. It can often be very difficult for a student to come before or after school because of sports and Z-block classes. X-block’s placement during the school day gives students a reliable opportunity to meet with teachers.

X-block is also vital in that it creates a rich school community through clubs. In the 2023-24 school year, over 110 clubs met during X-block. The vast range of clubs at the high school gives students a place to take on leadership roles, work for charity, find an affinity space and pursue their passions. Clubs like the Asian Pacific American Club, the Gender Sexuality Alliance and the Latinx Club, among many others, allow students to find peers with whom they share similar identities and experiences in a safe space. Other clubs, such as the Climate and Food Justice Club and the Animal Rights Club, allow students to join together and engage in powerful activism.

Across the board, clubs create leadership opportunities for upperclassmen and give younger students a chance to find their passion and community. Nothing can replace the value of a student finding and developing a sense of belonging amongst a community of peers who share a common interest, identity or goal.

X-block is also the time when the high school legislature and judiciary each meet. Legislature is a group of 17 students and 17 teachers who pass bills and control the handbook. Judiciary is the five-student, four-teacher decision-making body of the school that arbitrates disputes and ensures fair implementation of the handbook for students and faculty. These bodies represent the “Freedom and Responsibility” mantra of the school, illustrated in the meaningful role students and teachers possess to impact our community. In my experience in Legislature, where I currently serve as chair, I cannot overstate the value of conversations between students and faculty in bringing the school community together to create a strong future. Beyond the collaboration of students and teachers, these bodies of high school government allow students to rise to roles of leadership and represent their classmates to improve our school. A strong legislature inspires dozens of students who bravely run to represent their classmates and fix issues in the school.

What would happen if X-block were removed?

X-block would be so infrequent that clubs and the school government would not be able to sustain themselves. Students would be stripped of their time to meet with teachers and manage their academic workload. Under this proposal, the entire month of March this year would have had zero X-blocks. The entire year has only nine planned four-day weeks (not including the occasional special schedule). This change would be a drastic cut from the standard 36-plus weeks of the school year, where every single week has X-block.

The damage to clubs would be crippling. If students were to have fewer than half of the current amount of X-blocks, clubs would not be able to maintain themselves; club membership would certainly fall. Clubs would have far less time to plan events, work on projects and achieve their goals. Students would have far less time to get to know each other and develop a sense of belonging in the clubs, weakening the value of our strong community spaces.

As the chair of the Legislature, I can be the first to tell you that Legislature would be considerably hindered. The process of passing Legislation requires continuous conversations among members, feedback from stakeholders and outreach to the entire school community; in other words, it’s time-intensive. Fewer than half as many meetings would impede students’ and faculty’s ability to make change.

For the sake of the entire school community, the things we care about most and the characteristics that make Brookline so unique, X-block must stay.