Marion High School may offer College Algebra, College Speech, and Jazz Band to students at 7:30 a.m. as part of the move to a seven-hour day starting in the 2010-11 school year.

For students who take the classes, USD 408 school board approved an option May 12 for students to take a free hour somewhere in the middle of the day. MHS principal Brenda Odgers said students would most likely take the free time an hour before lunch, an hour after lunch, or an hour before school is scheduled to end.

However, MHS counselor Phoebe Janzen said that most students who enroll in zero-hour classes already have a full schedule.

“(The zero-hour class) would be difficult to fit something into an already busy schedule,” she said.

Janzen said there are currently four students, each scheduled for College Algebra and College Speech, and six or seven students slated to take Jazz Band at zero hour. The college courses require a class size of at least six students. Odgers explained if there isn’t a lot of interest in the classes, MHS may not offer them.

Students have taken zero-hour weights at MHS for her entire 10-year career, Janzen said, but those students will not be eligible for an hour off during the day.