 |  | ||||
|
Tuesday, April 10, 2001 Flagler school officials consider later start timesBy DEBRA JOHNSON | News-Journal Staff Writer PALM COAST — National studies that show high school students do better in the classroom if they get to sleep later in the morning have prompted some Flagler County School Board members to think about later starting times for high school students here. School Superintendent Dr. Robert Williams said Monday that later starting times, in an effort to make it easier for students to perform well in the classroom, could become part of a long-range plan for the Flagler school district. There are no immediate plans to change school start times, Williams said, but it will be discussed if enough board members are interested. "At one of our strategic planning sessions earlier this year, it was an issue that came up," Williams said. Board members Colleen Conklin and Sue Dickinson spoke up about the studies. "We are continuing with those planning sessions and if that is an issue that continues to surface, it may be one the board may want to look at." In Volusia County, the School Board is considering a later starting time of 9 a.m. for middle schools as part of a solution for busing schedules. The board has discussed later starting times for high schools but to date has taken no action. In Brevard County, south of Volusia, the school district has approved later starting times for high school students beginning in August for the 2000-2001 academic year. High schools will start the day at 8:30 am. and dismiss at 3:15 p.m. The high schools currently start at 7:15 a.m. and dismiss at 2 p.m. Flagler Palm Coast High School starts shortly after 7 a.m. A spokesman for the Brevard school district said Monday that School Board members scheduled at least three public hearings to gather input from students and parents before making the change. Williams, meanwhile, said the board would have to consider transportation, staffing and other issues that would be impacted by a change in school hours. "Like most everything we do, there is a cost factor involved," he said. He said school officials in Flagler have done some preliminary studies on changing the school hours. "Certainly, it's not going to happen overnight," Williams said. One proposal that had been considered is having all the schools start at the same time. But the problem with that, the superintendent said, is the district would have to purchase more buses and hire additional drivers, which would be costly. Williams said the district will continue to look at options. "As we go out and collect information from different groups, community and school groups, we will be looking at this," he said. "It may be something the board wants to look at in the long-range planning." HICI Special Report — Sleeping In: The Skinny on Sleep |
Copyright © 2008 NIE WORLD (www.nieworld.com). All content copyrighted and may not be republished without permission. The News-Journal has no control over and is not responsible for content on other Web sites. Privacy Policy. |