School start times in the Syracuse City School District are changing and some parents are concerned about what that means for their children.
A May 14 Facebook post from the Syracuse City School District announced some schools would have new start times, as early as 7:25 a.m. Syracuse Superintendent Anthony Davis said the changes wouldn’t have happened if bussing issues did not exist.
“If we were to get enough bus drivers to run the routes that we need or increase the routes, we wouldn’t have to move the times,” Davis said. “That wouldn’t be the only solution.”
Davis said the shortage of drivers has left the district falling behind on routes. Giving more time between routes will prevent students from arriving late or being left behind in the afternoon. He said the decision was made out of necessity but the district is happy to listen to alternative solutions.
“If someone comes to the table with solutions that are different than what we have explored we would be happy to listen to that, if they are viable we’d act on it,” Davis said.
Members of the Superintendent's Parent Advisory Council hosted a town hall meeting this week to give parents the opportunity to share their concerts over the changes. The council says they were not notified prior to the changes being made official. Board leader, L. Micah O. Dexter II, said the council and parents should have had more say.
“We should be a part of that, not just one person makes that decision and then we find out later,” Dexter said.
Parents who attended the town hall addressed concerns over their students getting adequate sleep, being safe while waiting for earlier buses and whether attendance would get worse with earlier times.
Magnolia Mumm, a parent in the district said with the amount of school work and extracurriculars teenagers are preoccupied with, sleep should be a priority. For her, having students get to school earlier makes that necessary sleep harder to get.
“It seems that 25 minutes is an insignificant change, but that 25 minutes is a big impact for the kids,” Mumm said
The Superintendent's Parent Advisory Council members shared plans to file an injunction against Davis to prevent the earlier start times next school year.
