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While officials feel a staggered start and end time at DCS was the proper thing to do, it may be reversing those times for students next year.
The staggered times help alleviate congestion on the buses and in the parking and drop off areas.
The school day for Pre-k through 6 students begins at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. School for 7 through 12 students is from 8:25 a.m. through 3:10 p.m.
Superintendent Paul Alioto said that research has shown that students at younger ages learn better in the early morning, and older students learn better later in the day.
However, many older students have been coming to school on the first bus run to take advantage of early morning activites, school breakfast and meeting with teachers for extra help.
“Because so many 7 through 12 students came in on the early run, we had serious crowding on many of those buses and children were on buses for longer periods of time,” Superintendent Paul Alioto said after the Board of Education meeting last week.
New routes were implemented earlier this month to cut down on the congestion on the buses.
“Most of our conditions have improved for most of our students,” Alioto said.
“It was a major endeavor for a school district our size to undertake in January.”
He added there was a lot of confusion for the first few days, but those problems have since ironed out.
Alioto said that reversing the start and end times not only helps with overcrowding on buses, but it also helps ease other problems for 7 through 12 students such as attending away games without having to be excused from afternoon classes; meeting with teachers on homework that day rather than waiting the following morning; and being home in the afternoon to watch younger siblings while parents are at work.
On the flipside, working parents who have younger students bused into school on the second morning run may need to find childcare while they are on their way to work.
The district may look into providing a morning program for those students. A specific plan on that has not yet been developed.
Alioto said a decision on the reversal could be made this spring. If so, it would be implemented at the beginning of next school year.
While officials feel a staggered start and end time at DCS was the proper thing to do, it may be reversing those times for students next year.
The staggered times help alleviate congestion on the buses and in the parking and drop off areas.
The school day for Pre-k through 6 students begins at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. School for 7 through 12 students is from 8:25 a.m. through 3:10 p.m.
Superintendent Paul Alioto said that research has shown that students at younger ages learn better in the early morning, and older students learn better later in the day.
However, many older students have been coming to school on the first bus run to take advantage of early morning activites, school breakfast and meeting with teachers for extra help.
“Because so many 7 through 12 students came in on the early run, we had serious crowding on many of those buses and children were on buses for longer periods of time,” Superintendent Paul Alioto said after the Board of Education meeting last week.
New routes were implemented earlier this month to cut down on the congestion on the buses.
“Most of our conditions have improved for most of our students,” Alioto said.
“It was a major endeavor for a school district our size to undertake in January.”
He added there was a lot of confusion for the first few days, but those problems have since ironed out.
Alioto said that reversing the start and end times not only helps with overcrowding on buses, but it also helps ease other problems for 7 through 12 students such as attending away games without having to be excused from afternoon classes; meeting with teachers on homework that day rather than waiting the following morning; and being home in the afternoon to watch younger siblings while parents are at work.
On the flipside, working parents who have younger students bused into school on the second morning run may need to find childcare while they are on their way to work.
The district may look into providing a morning program for those students. A specific plan on that has not yet been developed.
Alioto said a decision on the reversal could be made this spring. If so, it would be implemented at the beginning of next school year.
