Dear friends,

This is an update about Amherst school start times. The process has been slow, but now the school committee is expected to make a decision in the coming months, with any change taking effect this fall.

The school district has scheduled three public forums to discuss start times (all 7-9 pm):

Wed. Jan. 25, Bangs Community Center, large activity room

Tues. Jan 31, Crocker Farm school

Tues. Feb. 7, Middle School

I think the first of these is most important because it may set the tone for the overall debate. Please come to Bangs on Wed. Jan. 25, 7-9 pm if you can -- mark your calendar now. And/or come to another of the forums. The district's point person on the issue is the Middle School principal, Mike Hayes. The school committee includes both supporters and skeptics, so the public forums will be important in making a decision.

There are two proposals currently on the table, in addition to the option of keeping the current schedule.

One proposal shifts the entire school day, both elementary and secondary, a half hour later in the day. Elementary would run from about 9:10 am to 3:35 pm, and secondary from 8:15 to 2:50 pm.

The second proposal, "flip and move," flips the elementary and secondary schools so that elementary starts first, but then moves the whole day a bit later so that elementary students are not out before dark in the winter. Elementary would run from about 8:15 am to 2:40 pm, and secondary from 9:00 am to 3:35 pm. Clearly the flip and move proposal gains the most sleep benefit for teens but has more impact on sports and other after-school activities, as well as on some 6th graders who might have trouble waking up 25 minutes earlier.

There is now considerable support for later start times on the school committee and in the community. The Gazette editorialized in favor of later starts (Dec. 19), the Amherst Bulletin ran a front-page story (Jan. 6; following an earlier front-page Gazette story Dec. 9), and an official at Williston school wrote a letter to the editor about the positive changes they experienced with a later start (Gazette, Jan. 7). It appears likely, to me, that the school committee will adopt one of the two new proposed schedules. Which do you like? Please come and hash it out at the forums.

Joshua Goldstein
16 Poets Corner Rd., Amherst, MA 01002-1760 (413) 256-6363
jg@joshuagoldstein.com http://www.joshuagoldstein.com

 

This is not a Crocker Farm PGO sponsored event.