Committee removes fixed start/end times from school‑day policy; recommends AR and begins discussion on later start times

The policy committee recommended removing explicit start and end times from Policy 804 (school day) and placing current bell schedules in an administrative regulation or other easily updated district document. Staff noted the policy’s currently listed times are out of date (the draft still showed older start times) and recommended the board keep the policy text general and maintain a published table of current start/end times in an AR or on the district website.

Committee members asked staff to publish current high‑school, middle‑school and elementary start times in an easily accessible location and suggested that an AR listing times would allow faster updates without revising policy. Several board members also used the discussion as an opportunity to begin exploring later school start times as a health initiative: members referenced neighboring districts (Radnor, Lower Merion) that have adopted later starts and proposed starting a district effort — likely a multi‑year process — to study options, impacts on transportation and after‑school activities, union/contract implications and potential childcare/pre‑care needs.

Staff advised that successful changes in other districts typically involve a task force or steering committee, community engagement (surveys and public forums), and sometimes outside facilitation; committee members suggested the board discuss the initiative with the incoming superintendent and consider a consultant to manage a multi‑stakeholder process. The committee asked staff to prepare an AR listing the district’s current start/end times (and to publish them on the website) and to return with recommendations on next steps if the board wants to formally explore a start‑time change study.

No formal vote was recorded; the committee supported forwarding the policy with times removed and requested an AR/table of current times be made available publicly.