On the agenda for the October 30th meeting of the Wissahickon School Board is the issue of changing school start and end times. The issue won’t be settled during the October 30th meeting, but the board will be presented with two options for potential changes.

Option 1: Double Tiering

Middle and high school will start at 8:25/8:30 a.m. and end at 3:15/3:10 p.m. The five minute difference allows the buses to move between the schools.

Option 2: Triple Tiering

Middle school will start at 7:35 a.m. and 3nd at 2:25 p.m. High school will start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m. Elementary school will start at 9:15 a.m. and 3:55 p.m.

Following this meeting, the district will have a series of presentations on implementation details and feedback opportunities during a series of board meetings that are open to the public. Any vote to adopt a change to the schedule won’t take place until February 5, 2024.

If neither option is selected, the current schedule will be maintained.

You can find more details on the proposed change here.

Advocates for changing the start time for school point to adolescent sleep patterns. You can read more about this argument here (please note that this link goes to an advocacy organization).

The meeting on October 30th is 7:00 p.m. and can be attended in person or virtually. Details are on the agenda linked at the top.