PLAISTOW — Younger students will get to hit the snooze button, but high school students will have to get out of bed a little earlier in the 2008-2009 school year.
The Timberlane Regional School Board adopted a new bus schedule last week, which will shift the start and dismissal times of all the district's schools between five and 15 minutes, according to Superintendent Richard La Salle.
The adjustments were made to help relieve traffic woes at the Greenough Road school complex, where thousands of middle and high school students from four towns arrive at nearly the same time.
The changes should make dropping off and picking up students safer, he said. Administration at the middle school also requested a later start time in hopes that students would be more alert in class, La Salle said.
Middle school students will see the biggest change. Students will be picked up 10 minutes later in the morning. School will start and end 15 minutes later, La Salle said.
The middle and high school will flip-flop who gets in and out first.
High school students should arrive at school five minutes earlier. La Salle said the time for the first bell hasn't been determined, but will likely be at 7:20 a.m. This year it rings at 7:25 a.m.
"We need to be flexible about when the buses need to roll in," he said. "In early September, we'll have a better idea if we need to make some minor changes to make things work."
The start and end times of the two schools will still be just 10 minutes apart. But La Salle said having the high school start and end first will get more drivers out of the way. And that will make the biggest difference in the morning when congestion is at its peak, he said.
Although the changes are being made because of the two upper level schools, the five elementary schools will be affected, too.
"One of the issues that we obviously have, which is difficult, is that all of our buses have to be available to get to the elementary schools," La Salle said. "It was a trick to try to get 20 minutes in the morning and not affect the elementary schools by more than 10 minutes. We didn't want them getting out really late, especially in the winter when it could be dark."
Elementary students will start school 10 minutes later. There will still be 13 minutes between the time students arrive and when the school day starts, giving them time to eat breakfast. The last bus will drop off students no later than 4:10 p.m.
Changes in times for elementary schools
School This year Next year
Elementary school start 8:30 a.m. 8:40 a.m.
Elementary school dismissal 3 p.m. 3:10 p.m.
Middle school start 7:15 a.m. 7:30 a.m.
Middle school dismissal 2:05 p.m. 2:20 p.m.
High school start 7:25 a.m. 7:20 a.m.*
High school dismissal 2:15 p.m. 2:10 p.m.
*Time has not been approved by the School Board
Changes in morning bus pickup schedules
School This year Next year
Elementary 7:40 a.m. 7:45 a.m.
Middle school 6:10 a.m. 6:20 a.m.
High school 6:10 a.m. 6:10 a.m.
