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:


  1. 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 deciding what start times elementary schools would have, APS Transportation staff spoke ONLY with the affected principals. At no point before the recommendation was presented to the TAT did families or staff at any of the impacted elementary schools have any way of knowing that the bell times of their school may change.  Most impacted elementary schools did not have a representative on the TAT. This recommendation was made without any engagement with families, staff, or other stakeholders, save the principals.

  2. Safety was not made a priority in this study. APS Transportation staff did not look at any safety data to inform their decisions. The TAT discussed various safety issues, such as the increased car traffic caused by early start times for choice programs and the dangers of students walking in the dark. Others wrote into the survey expressing similar concerns. However, those concerns were not included in any of the summaries of engagement and are not addressed in the final recommendation.


Importantly, the School Board does not have policies to guide APS staff in studying these sorts of issues. I strongly urge you to:


  1. Adopt a public engagement policy that sets expectations for staff to follow. At a minimum, when a change is considered that would affect an entire school or program, APS should clearly articulate which schools or programs could be affected and what the change would be.  There should be an opportunity for staff and families to weigh in on the specific plan. 

    Our principals are wonderful, but they do not substitute for public engagement.
     

  2. Prioritize safety in APS transportation. APS Policy E-5.1 Student Transportation Services, which should come to the School Board to review this calendar year, should address all student transportation (not only school buses) and should have clear goals. The Advisory Committee on Transportation Choices has been working with staff along these lines, and has recommended goals that include the goal “to enable students to get to school safely, ready to learn, in time to receive appropriate services (e.g. breakfast) and instruction.”

    The School Board could start by adopting a Vision Zero policy, in parallel to Arlington County.


Finally, I strongly urge APS to work towards shifting the bell times so that middle schools can start after 8:30am, though I agree that major shifts to bell time decided late in the year would be unworkable for many teachers and families. There is ample science indicating that middle school students learn better and are healthier if they can sleep in. With more time, APS can adequately engage with the community and find solutions to the issues that led many to oppose a major shift in this process. 


I am happy to discuss any of these issues. I can be reached at the email or mobile number below.


Thank you for your time and for your service.

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