Middle schools, Cape High to start early

A year after voting for elementary school to start earlier than the middle schools and Cape High, Cape Henlopen school board has reversed its decision.

Board members voted 5-2 to start the two middle schools and high school at 7:40 a.m. and the district's five elementaries at 8:55 a.m.

“We don't want to see the kids go too early, we don't want to see them go too late, but we have to do something,” said board President Andy Lewis, before voting for the new start times.

Board members Jen Burton and Jason Bradley opposed the plan. “I just don’t think it is what is best for all students, period,” Burton said.

Bradley said he was surprised the board voted on start times Oct. 13 because he thought they would vote during the second meeting in October. “It would’ve been nice to have more public input,” he said.

Board member Janis Hanwell said she reviewed reports that supported later start times for teenagers, but without citing specific studies, she said previous studies suggested afternoon starts. Early is the way to go, she said, supporting the plan to start secondary schools before elementaries.

Both the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics have released studies on sleep needs for teenagers. Based on these studies, board members in October 2015 voted to start elementary schools before secondary schools in order to give Cape's teenagers more time to sleep. The October 2015 vote itself rescinded a July 2015 vote to start elementary schools after secondary schools.

“We've looked at this from so many different directions, I think we've come to the best solution,” said board member Roni Posner, a supporter of starting secondary schools first throughout all discussions.

“I'm going to go with what the experts tells me,” said board member Jessica Tyndall, who voted to start secondary schools first. Superintendent Robert Fulton and Transportation Supervisor Lenny Richardson both supported starting secondary before elementaries. 

According to a transportation study commissioned by the district, starting secondary schools first will save bus drivers about 20 minutes over starting elementary schools first. If the elementaries begin first, the study estimated it would take 90 minutes before buses could start routes for the secondary schools. Under the plan the district adopted, with older children starting first, it would take 70 minutes. Cape paid School Bus Consultants $9,600 for the study.

Dismissal time for middle and high schools is 2:40 p.m. and elementary dismissal time is 3:55 p.m.

Board Vice President Alison Myers said she voted in favor of the plan because of shorter bus rides for students. “I would like to get to the point when there are no bus routes more than an hour,” she said. During a previous discussion, Fulton said a few district bus routes are still more than an hour long.

Myers put forth a second motion that if time is saved on middle and high school bus routes, then the starting time for elementaries should be moved earlier than 8:55 a.m.

The motion passed unanimously.

Richardson said he probably will tweek the consultant's report suggested start times, but he should be able to improve bus ride times.

“We may be able to shorten the times in the consultant's report,” he said.