Decatur High School Principal Lauri McKain sent a note out to DHS parents this morning regarding the proposed earlier start time for the high school that will be voted on at tonight’s School Board meeting.  If you were not one of the lucky few, you can read the note in full on her blog, but here’s a snippit…

Although it is a fairly significant shift earlier (50 minutes), all the other schools in the district had to be considered and staggered due to shared buses. There were a variety of options and topics discussed. Dr. Edwards listened intently as principals discussed feedback from teachers and parents about research around teenagers and optimal school performance. It was very clear in this research that the peak start time is around 10:00 a.m. However, this is not an option at this time. Therefore, when given the choice to be the first school to start or the last, the above reasons [editor's summary: after-school activities going late, time for after-school tutorial], weighed heavily in my preference for an earlier start time. I believe the students will successfully adjust. Some of our neighboring high schools start earlier—or within 15 minutes of that time. I am confident Decatur’s students will be able to do so as well.

And about 30 minutes ago, the AJC’s Maureen Downey posted the same paragraph of McKain’s note and then continued…

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