The push for a longer day at a Denver elementary school has parents up in arms and has raised questions about the correct protocol for making substantial changes to a school’s model.

Denison Elementary School in southwest Denver is one of several district schools that has considered making the change to a longer school day. At some schools, the transition has gone smoothly, but others backed away from the model after uproar from parents orstruggles with the longer day’s day-to-day implications.

At Denison, the conflict has divided parents and staff, with many parents opposing the change and a majority of staff supporting it.

The conflict, which has played out in heated community meetings and the school’sFacebook page, has centered on two questions: what is more time in school worth, and how should the decision to add more time be made? Parents have said their input was ignored, questioned the academic value of the time and complained of lost time with their children. But for the school’s staff, the change would mean uninterrupted time with students, more planning time and a stronger commitment to the school’s Montessori model.

Read the full story on Chalkbeat CO.