The Appoquinimink School District has approved new school start times for the 2022-2023 school year.
The new schedule was created to address a shortage of bus drivers. The district is 16 bus drivers short and has had 10 drivers resign since the school year started.
About 3,900 students do not currently have a bus, and some students arrive at school 90 minutes early and do not leave until two hours after school lets out, according to the transportation committee.
Initial proposal:Appoquinimink School District looking to change school start times to fix bus problems
The initial proposal had elementary school students starting earlier in the day, and middle and high school students starting later.
Although it would have allowed older students to get more sleep, many parents were concerned about younger children waiting alone in the dark for buses or needing older children to get them on and off the bus.
Other parent concerns included having longer days for students needing after-care, middle school sports and activities taking place too late in the day and their work schedules not lining up with the needs of their children.
After taking this feedback into consideration, the board opted to have middle schoolers start earlier.
For the 2022-2023 school year, school days will look like this:
- 9:10 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. for pre-K
- 9:10 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. for K-5
- 7:30 a.m. to 2:10 p.m. for grades 6-8
- 8:20 a.m. to 3 p.m. for grades 9-12
In a unanimous vote, the board passed the revised schedule at its Feb. 8 meeting.
The approved schedule would provide a shorter travel time for students, allow hundreds of students on early and late bus routes to return to a normal schedule and ensure older students are getting the recommended amount of rest advised by sleep studies on teenagers, according to a presentation at the board meeting.
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The proposal would also give bus drivers the opportunity to earn additional money.
With the new schedule, parents will be able to utilize an after-care support option for younger students who are unable to stay home alone.
Staff members would supervise younger children and be assisted by Teacher Academy Pathway students, who would gain hours toward their graduation requirements.
Moving forward, the transportation committee will continue to update the Board of Education on the district’s transportation status and analyze the costs associated with district-owned school buses.
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