Parkway School Students: Prepare To Wake Up 5-10 Minutes Earlier

The start of school—and the end times—of Parkway District school days will change by 5-10 minutes in mid-October, after the Board of Education voted 6-1 Wednesday in favor of the change.

Officials said existing start and end times of the day, which were already new this school year, did not apparently allow enough time between shifts for bus drivers to make the routes. Students were consistently arriving late in the mornings by bus, and waiting for buses to take them home afterward.

uses the same finite set of buses to transport elementary, middle school and high school students. Students ride with their own age group, so the start and end times are varied by schools, in three so-called tiers.

The approved time change for each school depends on the school's tier.

• First tier generally includes high schools. Existing: 7:45 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. New: 7:35 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• Second tier generally includes middle schools. Existing: 8:15 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. New: 8:20 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

• Third tier includes elementary schools. Existing: 8:55 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. New: 9:05 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Board Director Sam Sciortino made the motion to alter the times. Director Helen Casteel was the dissenting vote.

Parents testified before the board about the proposed time changes, and when the motion passed, some left the meeting room in apparent frustration over the support for changing it.

However, one board member summed up his rationale for the vote in favor.

"If we don't make a decision now, we're just kicking the can down the road," Director Tom Appelbaum said.

Schools when the transportation delays became evident in the first month of school.

Editor Gabrielle Biondo provided information about the school board vote as it happened.