PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia plans to shift classroom schedules at 51 of their high schools from a 7:30 a.m. first bell to a 9 a.m. start time, beginning with the 2022-23 school year.
In a letter to district families from Chief of Schools Dr. Evelyn Nunez, the district said it would make the change for all but four schools whose schedules have to align with what they describe as “partner institutions.” The time change will also affect middle school students at these specific high schools.
The new start times would not apply to four district high schools: Pennypack House School, Widener Memorial School, Parkway Middle College, and the Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Cervices Center.
The district said that all elementary schools that run through eighth grade, plus pre-K schools located in high schools, will maintain their current schedule.
District spokeswoman Monica Lewis said research shows better performance for high schools with a later start time.
“This was an effort to improve outcomes aligned with the Board of Education’s Goals and Guardrails," Lewis said. "We had wanted to have a phased-in approach to a standardized school daily start and end time.”
Related Jawncast: Not one of the Philly superintendent finalists is a local, and we have some insight as to why
“Later start times for high school students enable them to arrive at a school more alert and ready to learn,” Dr. Nunez said in the letter, citing an American Academy of Pediatrics study.
She also said that since many students are responsible for getting to school on their own, this would assist them in making it back and forth safely.
However, a later start means a later end. A few students that KYW Newsradio talked to were not happy about starting an hour and a half later.
One 11th grader said she was not concerned about the beginning of the day, but the end of it.
"Especially coming back at 4 p.m.? Ugh. Oh my God, no. That's too late!" she said.
"It usually get dark around 4 p.m. That means you’re coming home at nighttime."
The school district last summer consolidated 28 different starting times down to three for the current year, to allow buses to make extra runs to address a bus driver shortage. It brought frustration for many families. (Listen below.)
Lewis said conversations have been ongoing with school unions, but the unions dispute that. The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers said the unilateral change violates its contract, and Robin Cooper, head of the Commonwealth Association of School Administrators, says city principals weren’t notified either.
“Obviously, we always have ongoing conversations with them," said Lewis. "I think it’s best for those conversations to be discussed between the two entities.”
Webinars to inform parents are scheduled for March 22 and 28.
Related
The following is the full letter from Dr. Evelyn Nunez, chief of schools for the School District of Philadelphia, to student families:
Dear School District of Philadelphia Parents and Families,
In alignment with the School District of Philadelphia’s Goals & Guardrails, we are consistently striving to create educational conditions that empower all students to succeed. In the Fall of 2021, as part of a larger strategy to create those conditions, the District began its phased approach to standardizing daily start and end times at our schools. Standardizing the bell times is designed to reduce the amount of time students spend on buses, help ensure buses are on time more often, and allow for consistent cleaning of high-touch areas on buses between runs. This effort improves the overall transportation experience for our students, even as we continue to face a nationwide bus driver shortage.
As discussed in previous forums during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, we have started to implement a 3-tier bus schedule. At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, we began to align schools to the three tiers and made substantial changes to Kindergarten-Grade 8 schools. This fall we are making additional schedule adjustments for the 2022-2023 school year.
Starting this fall all District high schools, except four schools whose schedules must align with partner institutions, will shift to a 9:00 a.m. start time – including high schools that include middle grades. Pre-Kindergarten programs that are located in the high schools will maintain their current schedule.
All other elementary schools – schools serving Pre-K through Grade 8 – will maintain their current bell schedules.
Related
This decision was informed by community feedback collected in the Spring of 2021, and research from the American Academy of Pediatrics which shows that later start times for high school students enable them to arrive at a school more alert and ready to learn. In addition, since a majority of our high schoolers are responsible for making their own way to school, later start times promote safer travel in the mornings and afternoons.
You are invited to attend one of four upcoming virtual Community Forums where we will dive more deeply into these adjustments and give you an opportunity to provide the District with feedback on supports that families may need as you plan ahead for the 2022-2023 school year as a result of the bell schedule adjustments.
Related
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 (Sessions will be interpreted in Mandarin, Portuguese, and Spanish)
● 1:00pm-2:00 pm: Please register for the 1:00 pm session here
● 7:00pm to 8:00pm: Please register for the 7:00pm session here
Monday, March 28, 2022 (Sessions will be interpreted in Mandarin, Portuguese, and Spanish)
● 11:00am to 12:00pm: Please register for the 11:00am session here
● 6:00pm to 7:00pm: Please register for the 6:00pm session here
Families will also have the opportunity to complete a brief online survey regarding the 2022-2023 bell schedule that will be available in nine languages. The survey will include questions about supports that families may need as we plan for the 2022-2023 school year. The online survey will go live after the community forums on March 28th, and a link will be shared at that time.
We recognize that changing start and end times can present challenges to families, and remain committed to providing support to families wherever possible. We will also continue to communicate updates early and often so you can make any needed family arrangements ahead of time to ensure your child can attend school on time every day in alignment with this new schedule. I encourage you to visit the School District of Philadelphia website on a regular basis for the most up-to date information.