Give Input On Potential Seattle Public School Bell Time Changes

Seattle Public Schools is holding several meetings to get public input on changing bell times for all grade levels.

The information says:

What Do You Think About Changing Bell Times? Give Your Input at a Community Meeting

The School District is holding the following community gatherings to receive input on changing school start bell times:
Apr 30 - 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Hamilton Middle School Commons
May 5 - 7:00-8:30 p.m. at New Holly Gathering Hall
May 6 - 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Garfield High School Cafeteria
May 12 - 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Chief Sealth High School Cafeteria

Proposed options include:
1) Maintain Current Bell Times:
Tier 1: middle and high schools (with a few exceptions), and one K-8, 7:50 a.m. start
Tier 2: some elementary schools and K-8, 8:40 a.m. start
Tier 3: some elementary schools and K-8, 9:30 a.m. start
2) Modified Flip:
Tier 1: Elementary 8:00 a.m. start
Tier 2: Some Elementary and all high schools, 8:50 a.m. start
Tier 3: All Middle and K-8s, 9:40 a.m. start
3) Extended High School Day:
High school students could choose a schedule of either periods 1-6 or 2-7, starting at 7:50 or 8:40; all other schools retain current bell times.
 
For more information, see the Pros and Cons of each option and an FAQ sheet on sleep and school start times.

For questions about the meetings, email neighbor2neighbor@seattlepublicschools.org.
other languages on the Neighbor to Neighborweb page.


The SPS Office of Public Affairs sent out this information on taking a survey:

 

Last spring, the School Board heard testimony about the health and potential academic benefits of later start times for adolescents and passed a resolution directing the Superintendent to analyze potential bell time changes for the 2016-17 school year.  To successfully implement the School Board Bell Time Analysis Resolution, Seattle Public Schools is seeking input from a variety of stakeholders.  A change in the start and end times for a school day has the potential to affect the entire community and it is important that the district hear from our diverse community including parents, students, staff and community members on the potential positive and negative impacts of such a decision. To focus this conversation this spring, three options are being explored: 1) no change to current bell times, 2) moving secondary schools to later start times and elementary schools to earlier start times, and 3) expanding the high school day to allow a choice for students. 

 
To support the capture of this vital feedback from the District community, the Bell Time Online Survey will be available starting April 28.  The survey will be available online in ten languages and will remain open until May 10.  The survey has three primary audiences – Parents, Community Members and Staff.  In addition, for those families without reliable internet access, the survey will be available on paper at each of the 26 neighborhood Community Centers managed by Seattle Parks and Recreation.
 
Take the Bell Time Online Survey here!
 
For more information on the Bell Time Analysis, visit belltimes.www.seattleschools.org
 
We encourage everyone, whether you are a parent of a current Seattle Public Schools student, will soon be enrolling your child in the District, or are a community member interested in the topic, to take the survey and contribute to this important discussion.  The data collected from these surveys will be invaluable in determining the potential impacts a change could have on the community.