CSD Extends Start/End Times Survey Deadline Until December 16th
Decatur Metro | December 9, 2011Superintendent Phyllis Edwards send this note out to the Decatur community yesterday afternoon…
Dear Families,
We hope you are having an exciting pre-holiday season. Our schools are balancing a focus on learning and the eagerness your children feel!
Several systemwide committees have been working at my request:
- Engagement
- Enrollment Trends
- Start and End Time for RMS and DHS
- Transportation Options
Members include parents, students, and CSD employees. Each of these committees are creating recommendations that will be presented to the Board after the new year.
The Start and End Time for RMS and DHS committee has requested the community to offer their perceptions through an online survey. Although this committee is focusing on start and end times for RMS and DHS only, the survey has been launched to all CSD families. We have heard that families would like more time, so the survey has been extended to December 16, 2011. If you need Parent Portal access to reach the survey, please go to your child’s school in person to acquire your login information. Once you reach Parent Portal, select “Inbox” to find the survey.
This committee will continue to focus only on start and end times for RMS and DHS. However, all the data collected through this survey will be used by the Transportation Committee, as well as myself and school leaders, as decisions are made regarding 2012-2013 start and end times for all schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Phyllis Edwards
Latest from Decaturish
Sincere thanks for soliciting the input and extending the deadline, CSD.
http://bhsblog12.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/guest-post-the-necessity-of-a-later-school-start-time/#comment-22
Please align DHS and RMS. It makes not sense the way it if scheduled now. Move DHS to 8:45 and FAVE back to 8:00.
oops… I meant “no sense.”
I disagree MrFixIt.
it does make sense. In a year when a new school opens on the opposite side of town, the School System, commuters, and parents need extra time to understand changes to traffic patterns and figure out safe ways for their kids to bike, scooter, and walk to school
With a year’s worth of data and experience the school system will be able to make some recommendations based on facts.
I hope the survey provides additional data points but is not overly weighted in the decision making process. Our activist parent network sometimes appears more like a groups of bullies than concerned citizens.
Don’t forget the 4/5 and K-3 need to work together….you cannot have school starting at the same time.
Anyone know what % of families have a k-3 AND a 4/5 child or perhaps a better number would be what % of 4/5 families ALSO have a k-3 child??
If you chop up the grades into shorter chunks you cannot take them as separate entities.
Don’t forget that those with a kid at both a k-3 and FAVE now will someday soon have a child at FAVE and Renfroe . . .
I have one at all 3. The start times aren’t perfect but are working out ok for us. I did like Renfroe starting at 8:30 better but it hardly seems worth quibbling over 15 minutes.
That said, if they are going to change the start times, I hope they do it soon enough for parents to sign their kids up for after school care if it’s needed.
Thank you, CSD.
I just want to remind everyone to fill out the Start/End Time survey today or tomorrow.
I’ve spoken to some families who have been looking for a paper version in their child’s folders. This option has not been made available. At this time, the survey is only available through the parent portal.
No survey, no complaining.