Some North Charleston schools alter start times

Changes at other institutions under consideration

Some North Charleston elementary school students will be going to school in the dark while high school students sleep in an extra hour.

Changes to start times at other Charleston County schools, meanwhile, could be on the horizon.

County schools Superintendent Nancy McGinley has given the OK to a plan that allows students at Stall and North Charleston high schools to start an hour later this fall while North Charleston elementary school students will start 20 minutes earlier.

The changes are designed to benefit high school students. Research shows that adolescents have later sleeping and waking patterns than younger students and that later start times can improve their attendance, academic performance and grades.

But some parents and principals are concerned that the changes will hurt elementary school students and their families by resulting in more late arriving students, child care problems because older siblings won't be home when younger ones come home from school and safety issues with children walking to school in the dark.

"For those who can make the transition, they will," said Laurence Martin, a parent and PTA president at Goodwin Elementary. "But for those who are struggling, this may make things more difficult."

Only one of the parents surveyed at Goodwin Elementary was OK with the earlier start time. Every other family didn't want the schedule change because of safety and child care concerns, Martin said.

Changing high schools' start time affects elementary schools because the district has a limited number of school buses, and each bus must run a route for the elementary, middle and high schools, said Katie McClure, director of school transportation in the county. A change in the time in one route affects the others, she said.

Associate Superintendent Lynda Davis, who oversees schools in Mount Pleasant, McClellanville and North Charleston, said school officials started talking about this proposal last fall.

A group of district officials researched whether it would be beneficial to alter the start times, worked with the district's bus company and solicited feedback from elementary, middle and high school principals, teachers, constituent board members and city officials before presenting the proposal to the superintendent for approval.

While no other area of the school district will see changes in its bell schedule this fall, that could change for the 2009-2010 school year.

Associate Superintendent Lou Martin, who supervises the county's high schools, said he plans to begin reviewing the start times at West Ashley High, Baptist Hill High and St. John's High, which would affect elementary and middle school students in those areas. The public would have an opportunity to weigh in on the change before he makes a recommendation to the superintendent, he said.

Last year, West Ashley elementary school parents' tempers flared when school officials announced they were considering changing start times. Parents flooded the school district office with e-mails and phone calls when The Post and Courier broke the story, and McGinley immediately responded by postponing the changes until more feedback could be solicited.

Mount Pleasant switched to a later schedule for Wando High students and an earlier one for elementary school students nearly 10 years ago. Although some parents initially resisted the change, Belle Hall Elementary Principal Terri Nichols said most of her school community likes the schedule now. Parents can spend more time in the afternoons with their children and teachers can stay after school for a faculty meeting and still be on their way by 4 p.m., she said.

"Once they start doing it, they're really going to like it," Nichols said.

Dan Conner, principal of Stall High, is a major proponent of the later schedule for high school students. A large percentage of his school's students have after-school jobs that don't end until midnight, and when students have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready to catch the bus, "it was a recipe for nonacademic performance," he said.

He said that while Stall has improved its discipline, teacher quality and course offerings, it's biggest problem still is attendance, he said. He said he understands the concerns of elementary school families, but is interested in providing the best setting possible for high school students to be successful.

"Is it a miracle cure? No. But in our opinion, it will be a large contributor to helping our kids," Conner said.

LaDene Conroy, principal of Hursey Elementary, said 98 percent of the school's parents indicated they wanted an earlier start. She said most of her students come to school awake, and she has a free after-school program.

"I'm not concerned with it at all," she said.

Mary Reynolds, principal of Goodwin Elementary, said the change will mean more tardy students, and some of her teachers with children who live farther away have said the earlier start will be difficult for their families.

"It's going to be a challenge, really," she said.

Cindy Smalls, principal of Mary Ford Elementary, said only about 40 of the school's 450 parents responded, and most favored the earlier start time. She was surprised because many students already arrive late, she said. Although she's met with parents and sent a note home about the change, she wondered whether parents were aware of the earlier start.

"I'm just willing to wait and see how things work out," she said.

Reach Diette Courrégé at dcourrege@postandcourier.com or 937-5546.