The Oregon State Board of Education meets Thursday in Salem, and one item on its afternoon agenda is a discussion of easing instructional time requirements for school districts around the state. Three groups — the Oregon Education Association, the Oregon School Board Association and the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators — want the state to relax the standard that’s set to go into effect for the coming school year.

The board should consider the possibility, but only with conditions. For now, the waiver should be temporary, lasting only a couple of years. It should be limited to the last two years in high school, and if it’s to become permanent after that, school districts should be required to demonstrate that education hasn’t suffered as a result.

The state has been working to increase the amount of time students must spend in school since 2015 with a gradual ramp-up of required instructional time since then. This school year, class schedules for at least 90 percent of students in a district must meet the instructional time standard. Next year that number is set to rise to 92 percent of students, with no school falling below 80 percent.

The standards do pose challenges for schools. Having more kids spend more time in class generally requires either more money or larger classes, or both. At the high school level, that can translate into fewer course offerings, a real problem for some students.

That said, Oregon requires less classroom time for students than most states, a situation that hasn’t improved in years. While the classroom time scheduled doesn’t improve that number, it does mean children will get more time with teachers than they currently do.

But more time in class could be problematic for some students, particularly during the last two years of high school. Juniors and seniors are more likely to work; they’re also more likely not to need a full schedule to graduate on time with full credit.

It might make sense to allow districts to waive the scheduling requirement for high school juniors and seniors. The education board could grant a two-year waiver, then require the districts to report back on the impact the waiver has had. Only then, and only if education has not suffered, should it consider making it permanent.