Neshaminy board pauses proposed change to high-school science lab schedule, will form review committee

The Neshaminy School Board on Monday instructed its administrative team to hold off on implementing proposed changes to high-school science class schedules for the 2025–26 school year and said it will form a committee to reassess the proposal in spring and fall 2025.

The decision followed an announcement read by the board that said the administration will “hold off on implementing this change for the 2025, 2026 school year” and that the board plans “to establish a committee to further assess the changes” to the high school schedule.

Board members said the pause responds to community feedback. Superintendent Bowman read the statement to the room and the board later discussed next steps at committee meetings. The announcement also noted the board had met earlier in executive session on personnel, property lease, litigation and labor relations and had an informational session on projected enrollment.

Public commenters urged the board to preserve hands-on lab time. Carrie Hammond, a Neshaminy resident, high-school science teacher and union leader, thanked the board for pausing the schedule change and asked that “our dedicated hands-on teachers” be included in the committee that will study alternatives. Hammond told the board she supports maintaining the extra instructional lab period that the current rotation provides and urged the committee to examine staffing and credit requirements as part of its work.

Sophomore Jenna Smith, a student at Neshaminy High School, said laboratory periods give students time to prepare materials, perform experiments and clean up — tasks she said cannot fit into a typical 46-minute class. “Lab periods in school provide the necessary time and resources to do these activities,” Smith said, adding that hands-on work helps students retain and apply scientific concepts.

Resident Lance Sagers urged the board to include enrollment trends in its review, saying longer-term figures would help the community understand capacity and whether development is affecting district enrollment. Board members said a demographic and facilities study by the Schrader Group will be discussed at the March 26 business operations meeting and encouraged residents to attend committee meetings for more detailed conversation.

Board members and staff said the committee will consider multiple options, including how to avoid overloading teachers with additional class periods and how schedule changes would affect graduation-credit requirements. The board did not set the committee membership or a firm deadline for its report at the meeting; those details will be determined in upcoming committee discussions.

The decision to pause implementation applies only to the 2025–26 school year while the board and the planned committee evaluate alternatives. No formal policy change or final schedule was adopted at the meeting.