Wake approves new school start times, but promises to do a review of bell schedules
Wake County will continue starting high schools earlier than elementary schools. But school leaders promised to conduct a review of what it will take to change this practice.
The Wake County school board approved Tuesday the start times that will be used this fall for all of the schools, except for North Ridge Elementary School in Raleigh. The 2019-20 school bell schedules will continue the practice of starting most high schools at 7:25 a.m., most middle schools at 8:15 a.m. and most elementary schools at 9:15 a.m.
With many parents and students upset about the start times, the board asked staff on Tuesday to conduct a comprehensive review of what it would take to flip Wake’s bell schedules. School board members warned that it’s going to take some time to do the review, which will look at things such as how many buses and drivers are needed and what impact it will have on athletics and other extra-curricular activities.
“This will take time,” said school board chairman Jim Martin. “It’s not a two-week endeavor.”
But school board vice chairman Keith Sutton said the review could finally put the bell schedule issue to rest after years of arguing over start times.
“It may be a fairly labor-intensive process,” Sutton said. “I imagine that it would. But I think it would be worth the time and effort so that again we can sort of put this conversation to bed.”
Wake uses a three-tier system in which the same bus makes multiple runs in the morning and afternoon. This reduces the number of buses that are needed.
School officials say that high schools are on the first tier because they have longer routes to run than the other schools. Elementary schools, which typically have the shortest routes, are on the third tier.
Wake’s bell schedules go against recommendations from groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics to delay start times for middle schools and high schools to 8:30 a.m. because teenagers have a hard time falling asleep before 11 p.m.
Wake’s new bell schedule is changing the times for four schools while also restoring Apex High School to its old 7:25 a.m. start time now that students and staff will be back this fall at their newly renovated campus.
Briarcliff and Cary elementary schools and East Cary Middle School will now all start 45 minutes later in the morning, a change some parents said will force working-class families to pay for child care. School officials said the later start times are needed for those three Cary schools to free up enough buses to serve the new Green Level High School that’s opening in this year.
Wake is also starting Fuquay-Varina High School 15 minutes earlier at 7:10 a.m. due to the students temporarily relocating to the new Willow Springs High School while their campus is renovated.
The Briarcliff, Cary and East Cary families were the most vocal opponents to new bell schedules.
After concerns were raised by the board two weeks ago, school officials made one change on Tuesday. They agreed to start Southeast Raleigh Elementary School at 8:30 a.m. to help the new school with its partnership with the YMCA of the Triangle.
“There are no additional changes we can make without making changes to other schools,” Chief Business Officer David Neter told the board.
While the families at the three Cary schools were unsuccessful on Tuesday, parents at North Ridge Elementary still have hope.
North Ridge had started at 8:30 a.m.. But the time was shifted to 9:15 a.m. when students and staff were temporarily relocated to a new location while their campus was renovated.
North Ridge students and staff are returning home this fall but transportation officials still want to keep them on their 9:15 a.m. start time, saying it’s needed to help them handle service for other schools in the area.
School board member Roxie Cash persuaded her colleagues Tuesday to postpone a decision on North Ridge to see if any new information can be found to restore the school’s old start time.
This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 9:03 PM.
