Comments on School Start Time (May 12th Agenda Item G.1)
Comments on School Start Time (May 12th Agenda Item G.1) Dear Members of the School Board, I am writing about School Start Times, agenda item G.1. for the May 12, 2022 meeting, as a long-time advocate for safe, sustainable, and healthy APS transportation and a member of the Technical Advisory Team (TAT) for the Bell Time Study. (The main points are underlined and in bold). School buses are by far the safest, and among the most sustainable, way for students to get to school. I strongly support efforts to make school bus service more efficient and more convenient for families. I understand that aligning school start and end times is one tool that can achieve this end. However, I have two serious concerns about the way this recommendation was developed: The Bell Time Study creates a dangerous precedent for APS public engagement. APS Transportation staff decided to eliminate the 8:20am start time for elementary schools without any discussion at the TAT or in any public documents. In d