Since my child entered BVSD’s Fairview High School as a freshman last year, the principal and administration have consistently celebrated the school’s academic excellence — while warning that Fairview can be a “pressure cooker.” Students are urged to take proactive steps to manage the stress of thriving in a high-achieving environment.

Yet this year, Fairview eliminated one of the primary support systems for managing that stress: Access. Access provided an hour every Thursday morning — within school hours but outside regular classes — when all teachers were available. But because it was not a required class with attendance taken, the state did not allow Fairview to count Access toward the 1,080 mandated hours of student instruction. Last year, Colorado officials required Fairview to revise its schedule, and administrators responded by dropping Access altogether.

In its place, Fairview introduced Advisory, a compulsory class focused on social-emotional learning. While Advisory may have potential value, it does not serve the same academic purpose as Access. Its curriculum remains unclear, and teachers do not appear aligned on how they will deliver instruction or measure success. This uncertainty risks turning Advisory into an inconsistent experience across classrooms, with students potentially getting very different outcomes depending on the teacher.

Advisory meets at the same time every Thursday. This schedule could allow students to use this period to get extra help from teachers, but only if those students could leave their Advisory classes (after attendance is taken — the critical factor for documenting to the state that Fairview is meeting mandated hours) and work one-on-one with other teachers. Of course, this won’t work if those teachers are occupied teaching their own Advisory classes. Simply, the replacement of Access with Advisory means that students who need deeper explanations, one-on-one tutoring, essay review, or makeup work will struggle to find support. What was once a reliable, school-wide system for academic help has been replaced with a program that lacks focus, consistency and accountability. As far as I can tell, the only clear function Advisory serves is helping the school comply with the state’s mandated instructional hours.

Advisory also introduces new academic concerns. Unlike Access, which was ungraded, Advisory is graded on a 4-point scale. At Fairview, many students pursue AP or IB classes graded on a 5-point scale, which allows GPAs to rise above 4.0. Graded Advisory could pull GPAs down, hurting college prospects and Fairview’s reputation.

The schedule change also dismantled the common Thursday lunch hour when most of the school’s many clubs used to meet. Clubs provide community and stress relief — key buffers against intense academics. Now clubs must meet before or after school, competing with jobs, sports and other commitments. Early-morning meetings are harder to attend, and after-school conflicts are inevitable. The result will likely be a weakened club culture, reducing chances to form meaningful connections.

But the Thursday lunch change goes far beyond impacting student communities. It adds even more structural barriers to academic help. This year, students are assigned either a fifth- or sixth-period lunch. Teachers also receive a free period during fifth or sixth. In theory, this free period replaces Access as office hours. In practice, if a student’s lunch fails to coincide with a teacher’s free period, that student is simply out of luck. Put plainly: The schedule means students may have lost access to half their teachers during school hours. Parents and students alike are deeply unhappy with these changes. Without reliable, designated office hours, students risk falling behind academically.

Some families will bridge the gap by hiring private tutors. But tutoring is expensive, and public school families should not have to pay extra to access the support once built into the school day. Worse, this shift potentially creates inequity. Wealthier families can get help, others cannot. Instead of equalizing opportunity, Fairview risks deepening the divide.

The consequences of eliminating Access are far-reaching. Students will be less prepared, clubs will suffer and inequality will widen.

I recognize the need to comply with state requirements. But replacing a proven, critical support system with a vaguely defined Advisory class — without clear goals or measures of success — is not a solution.

We all want our children to thrive at this reputable high school. We also want to protect them from the “pressure cooker” environment the school itself acknowledges. I’m not convinced the new schedule will achieve those goals.

Rachel Walker is the parent of two students within the BVSD and lives in south Boulder.