Board of Education Considers School Start and Dismissal Time Adjustment Proposals

November 17th, 2016

Feedback Invited from School Stakeholders

The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) School Start and Dismissal Time Committee (SSDT) presented four alternative models for school start and dismissal times in a report to the Howard County Board of Education at its November 17, 2016 meeting.

The four alternative models have middle and high school start times no earlier than 8:15 a.m., and elementary schools with the earliest start times ranging from 7:30–8:15 a.m. All schools would have a 6-hour and 45-minute student day, which represents an increase of 15 minutes for elementary schools.

All of the models are based on extensive consideration of the effects of school start times on student achievement, engagement and well-being. The committee’s analysis included research on the effect of sleep schedules on children and adolescents, school start times throughout Maryland jurisdictions, and the potential impact of schedule changes on before- and after-school activities, athletics and childcare.

The SSDT also considered transportation costs, time for completing homework, employee work schedules, and other factors. Research shows that later school start times can benefit student well-being, in terms of sleep time, alertness and other factors. However, research also shows that early start times have no impact, or a mix of positive and negative impact, on student achievement.

Parents, students, staff and community members are invited to provide feedback on the current and proposed models at any of three regional community forums, scheduled at 7–9 p.m. on

• November 30 at Marriotts Ridge High School
• December 7 at Howard High School
• December 14 at Reservoir High School

Feedback also may be provided through December 14 through an online feedback form.

Following an analysis of the stakeholder feedback, the SSDT will present recommendations at the January 12, 2017 Board meeting. A Public Hearing on school start and dismissal times is scheduled for the February 7 Board meeting, and the Board will take action on February 23. The decision will go into effect for the 2017–2018 school year.

Details on the model development process and the factors considered in proposing alternatives are available online. A comparison of the models also is on our website.

The full report presented to the Board is available on the BoardDocs website.

The SSDT was established to gather input from a broad base of stakeholders regarding the possibility of adjusting the start and dismissal times of schools. A five-phase process for the analysis of school start and dismissal times was developed, including multiple opportunities for community feedback. The committee presented several options for consideration to the Board in October 2015, and a revised proposal was presented in April 2016.