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Parent urges board to reconsider early start time for fourth‑ and fifth‑grade center
Summary
A Deer Creek parent urged the board to change early start times at the fourth‑fifth center, citing student sleep, safety at early bus stops and staff turnover; she recommended district‑specific surveys and data collection.
Stacy Gustafvelson, a parent, used the public‑comment period to press the Deer Creek Board of Education to reconsider the early start time at the fourth‑and‑fifth‑grade center.
Gustafvelson said repeated emails asking parents to arrive earlier have not resolved chronic tardiness and that early start times create safety concerns for young children waiting at bus stops in the dark. “Not to mention some of those 4‑5 students have to ride the bus and they're at the bus stop in the dark and cold during this time of year at 06:15. I think it's a safety concern because many of them are outside alone,” she told the board.
She argued that switching start times — for example, by starting high school earlier — could ease scheduling conflicts, allow older student drivers to pick up younger siblings and relieve pressure on buses and after‑school care. She recommended the district gather locally sourced data rather than relying on national studies, including anonymous paper surveys of teachers to capture on‑the‑ground effects. Gustafvelson also raised concerns about teacher turnover at the fourth‑and‑fifth‑grade center and the stress the schedule places on families: “This isn't fair to those students and causes unnecessary anxiety to begin the day with.”
Superintendent Jason Perez offered to review a copy of her comments if she would provide them to the district. No action or vote followed during the meeting; the comment was recorded during the public‑comment portion of the agenda.
