Interim Schools Superintendent Mamie J. Perkins will create a task force to study school start times and submit a report by the fall, under a proposal adopted by the Board at its December 18, 2013, meeting.
The plan calls for the task force to consist of no more than 15 members who would be appointed by the Superintendent after consultation with the Board. No timetable has been set for the creation of the task force.
In a separate vote, the Board also approved an online survey in which parents, students, employees, and the public at large would be able to see and comment on a potential schedule that would have all schools start and end 13 later than they currently do. Under that scenario, the county’s 12 comprehensive high schools would start at 7:30 a.m. and dismiss at 2:18 p.m. The schedule open for comment will also show all other county schools starting and ending 13 minutes later than they do currently, essentially allowing the school system’s current bus routes to remain intact. The schedule will display no changes in the length of the current instructional day.
The Board has not proposed or adopted any changes in start times for the current or coming school year. The survey is simply to provide a vehicle for input which will be used to help inform further Board discussions. The survey will be online at www.aacps.org at 3 p.m. on Friday, December 20, and will remain online through 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29, 2014.