Changes to school start and end times coming to Muscogee schools if board approves
The starting and ending times each day at every Columbus public school are on track to be changed.
Superintendent David Lewis has recommended the following adjustments to the Muscogee County School District’s time schedule:
Elementary schools
Doors open: current 7:15 a.m., proposed 7 a.m.
Starting time: current 8 a.m., proposed 7:45 a.m.
Ending time: current 2:30 p.m., proposed 2:15 p.m.
Middle schools
Doors open: current 8:20 a.m., proposed 7:40 a.m.
Starting time: current 8:50 a.m., proposed 8:10 a.m.
Ending time: current 3:50 p.m., proposed 3:10 p.m.
High schools
Doors open: current 7:40 a.m., proposed 8:15 a.m.
Starting time: current 8:10 a.m., proposed 8:45 a.m.
Ending time: current 3:25 p.m., proposed 4 p.m.
The board is expected to vote on the proposal during its April 17 meeting. If approved, the changes will go into effect when the new school year begins in August. Before the board votes, MCSD will conduct four public forums to gather feedback from residents:
March 28, 6 p.m., at Spencer High School
April 11, noon, Columbus Public Library
April 12, 6 p.m., online (see MCSD website and social media for instructions on how to log on when that information is released)
April 13, 6 p.m., Hardaway High School.
Rationale for changes
According to the administration’s presentation on the agenda for the March 20 board meeting, the changes are based on research that shows MCSD should change school starting and ending times to better support academic performance and align with guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The school day’s starting and ending times could affect students in their academic and athletic performance, their behavior and their transportation.
Circadian rhythms are part of our brain’s internal clock regulating bodily functions on an approximately 24-hour cycle.
An average teenager’s circadian sleep-wake cycle provides the highest energy level from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the lowest energy levels from 3-7 a.m., according to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics says high school days should start after 8:30 a.m.
Teenagers need eight to 10 hours of sleep per night, and their hormonal shifts cause them to stay awake late and want to sleep late, according to the CDC. If they don’t get the proper amount of sleep, the CDC says, they increase their chances of obesity, depression and risky behavior.
Board reaction
No board members expressed their opinion about the proposal during Monday night’s meeting. In an email that night to all nine board members, the Ledger-Enquirer asked whether they support the proposal and why. One response was received before publication.
“I support the proposed time changes mainly because it helps solve our transportation problems and the changes are helpful for students,” District 4 representative Naomi Buckner wrote. “Students won’t have to be at bus stops as early in the mornings; they won’t get home so late in the afternoon, past 5:30; and they will no longer be late getting to school, missing valuable instruction. High school will start later, which is consistent with the research indicating that teenagers perform better academically and behaviorally with a later school start.
“There may be issues with sports events, but the athletic director said they won’t be impactful. Some parents may be concerned about the earlier elementary start. We are trying to plan far enough ahead so that they can adjust their schedules. Considering everything, I think the proposed schedule solves more problems and therefore is better than our current one.”
Case study
The administration presented results from a case study on an unnamed high school with similar demographics to MCSD: 32,000 students, 5,100 employees, in a Southern urban community with Title I status.
Four years after that district changed its high school day’s starting time from 7:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and its ending time from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., the number of D’s and F’s in the first-period algebra class decreased by 11%, the passing rate on the state’s standardized test increased by 13% and the passing rate on Advanced Placement exams increased by 2%. Meanwhile, the number of tardies decreased by 19%, the number of absences decreased by 8% and the number of discipline referrals decreased by 12%.
A drawback for the later starting and ending times for high schools would mean practices and games for sports teams would be later and student athletes (35% of all MCSD high school students) would miss additional class time for away games.
But student athletes in middle school would have earlier starting and ending times for their practices and games, and high school student athletes would have more time in the morning for team practices or individual conditioning sessions.
And the proposal would benefit MCSD’s transportation system, which serves 60% of the district’s students, by:
Reducing the number of students with a morning pickup time at the school bus stop before 6 a.m. from 630 to zero.
Reducing the number of students arriving at school at least 15 minutes after the first bell rings from 1,890 to zero.
Reducing the number of students picked up from school at least 15 minutes after the dismissal bell rings from 1,750 to zero.
Reducing the number of students with an afternoon drop-off time at the school bus stop after 5:30 p.m. from 770 to zero.
Reducing the number of bus routes lasting longer than 75 minutes from 29 in the morning and 21 in the afternoon to zero.
Subcommittee
Members of the administration’s subcommittee that analyzed this issue are:
Jeff Battles, athletics director
Christine Hull, curriculum executive director
Godfrey Jackson, transportation director.
Subcommittee advisers are:
Tonya Douglass, Waddell Elementary School principal
Sureya Hendrick, Shaw High School principal
Trikella Nelson, guidance programs director.
Jeannie Polhamus, lead nurse.
