Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the High School Schedule topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Seattle to implement two‑lunch high school schedules this fall; board to convene task force to examine high‑school day
Summary
After student and principal feedback, district will move most comprehensive high schools to two lunch periods (some were already on that schedule); staff will convene a task force — with students, staff, families and labor partners — to examine the high‑school day and recommend changes by spring.
Seattle Public Schools officials said on Sept. 26 they are rolling out two lunch periods at comprehensive high schools in early October and will convene a task force to study broader changes to the high‑school day.
Superintendent Brent Podesta said the district made the schedule change to increase access to food and protect duty‑free lunch for staff and that school leaders have been meeting with students and staff to mitigate transition issues. "We wanted to maximize structural minutes," the superintendent said in the discussion of competing demands for student time, staff time and supervision.
Associate Superintendent Dr. Rocky Torres Morales said most comprehensive high schools are either already on a two‑lunch schedule or plan to transition on Oct. 6. He described local mitigations principals have adopted, including shifting advisory blocks adjacent to lunch, flexible lunch periods on certain days and offering club meeting times outside lunch. Torres Morales said district staff have also convened student leaders and will continue monthly meetings with students.
Why it matters: students, staff and parents raised concerns about lost social time, club scheduling and access to teachers. District staff said they will study those issues in a task force and seek solutions related to credit accumulation, transcript impact, transportation, staff schedules and bargaining implications.
Task force scope and membership (as described by staff) - Goals: examine equitable access to credits and learning opportunities, protect time for extracurriculars and assess start/stop times and innovative scheduling models. - Membership: students, families, teachers, counselors, principals, central office staff and labor partners. - Timeline: staff aim to complete recommendations in spring so principals and schedules can be adjusted ahead of scheduling cycles.
Board response and process notes Board members asked for frequent updates, incorporation of student input and a possible board liaison to observe task‑force work. Directors said they expect regular check‑ins so the board and community see how recommendations develop and how the task force incorporates prior work.
Ending District staff said the change to two lunches will proceed while a larger review of the high‑school day runs; staff will provide updates both to the board and to student communities.
