SLAUGHTER - Parents say they were blindsided when their local school board changed the school week from five days to four.

Tuesday, the East Feliciana school district suddenly, with little notice, changes the calendar.

Alysia Brown rushes to pick up her kids every day, her busy calendar filled with "to-dos".

"They're the best, just the best," Brown said. "They're bright. They're just beautiful."

She loves her kids so much that she doesn't mind being booked around the clock. She's a homemaker.

"Your time really does fill up quickly," Brown said.

That's why Brown was taken aback after Tuesday's East Feliciana school board meeting, when the board changed the number of school days from five to four.

"I think the decision warranted a larger discussion," Brown said.

Brown says she believes parents didn't have a say and that the published meeting agenda was vague, not specifically advertising a change in the school week.

"I think I learned what's on the agenda, is not actually on the agenda," Brown said.

The original school board agenda for Feb. 3 said the body would "receive, review and adopt" the 2026-2027 school calendar.

A source within the East Feliciana school district who didn't want to use their name or position for fear of retribution said parents were never told about the schedule change.

Even with questions about whether proper public notice was given, the board approved the four-day school week.

Superintendent Keisha Netterville defended the decision, saying similar school week changes in other districts "helped improve attendance and support teacher recruitment and retention."

Over the past twenty years, East Feliciana schools have tried the four-day school week. In 2006, they implemented it, and went back to five days in 2013. The district tried again in 2018.

Michael Bradford, the only board member to vote against the measure, said kids need something to occupy their time.

"I would love to hear from parents our stakeholders, parents," Bradford said "We have a very important tax renewal coming up in May, that should be our main focus, not a four-day schedule. This renewal is the life of our school system."

Brown says she's happy to have more time with her kids, but she also says that staying home isn't an option for every parent.

"I just think it could have been handled in a very different way," Brown said.