Date Started Comments...

I want to thank Dr. DeMuth and the Board for being open and willing to take feedback. This is a positive change in a good direction and makes me much more willing to support the referendum. As an elementary school‐age parent at this time, Option 5C sounds the most appealing. As I look to the future of children in secondary, I like the option of them sleeping in and going to school later in the morning as well as there being time for an after school activity for an hour or so and still being home by 5 PM to get homework done and have dinner as a family. I also like that we will not have to purchase extra buses for the corporation; however, I would be willing to financially support such a need. Bottom line, elementary students need a shorter day. My two are just exhausted by the length of time they are in school and research states that unscheduled time only supports academic achievement. I applaud you for your efforts in discussing this. You are being more progressive than many in the state and I am proud that MCCSC is in 12/8/2015 the lead here. Thank you for your hard work.

I prefer scenario 5C, because it:1. reduces hours for all students2. decreases bus usage3. doesn't require too early of a start for secondary 12/8/2015 studentsEven though my kids are in elementary now, I can see this schedule working for them as they continue on to secondary school. 12/8/2015 I like 5A, 5B, and 5 C. They all make elementary day shorter and have high school start later. HS should start at 8 or later.

12/8/2015 Myfamily's favorite is scenario 5A. 5 was the second choice. This comes from a family with two high schoolers and one in elementary. I strongly support 5CStudies show older kids need more rest/morning sleep time and it allows younger kids time to enjoy creative play/learning 12/8/2015 outside of school.

The late start on Wednesday just messes with the rhythm for the kids while creating problems for our work schedules as well. Scenario 5C seems the best of the proposed options. As a parent of both elementary and HS students I would love to see the schedule flipped to start elementary earlier and 12/8/2015 HS later. When the kids were in elementary they were always up early, now it is a struggle to get the older kids going in time for school in the morning.

I believe PLC time is very important and should not be taken away. There are many ways to keep the late start on Wednesday and allow teachers this time during the school day. I have elementary aged children who wake early so I do like the scenarios where school continues to start at 8:35 but dismisses well before 4 pm. Looking at how many additional hours our students go to school proves that the school day needs to be shortened. Please 12/8/2015 choose a schedule that shortens the day but keeps PLC time for teachers during the school day hours. Please end the school day earlier. My kindergartener is exhausted by 3:50 and it leaves no time for family activities. The school day needs to be 12/8/2015 shortened and ended earlier as we have seen in other areas. Thank you for working on this! I favor proposals that shorten the school days for both sets of students as well as a later start time for secondary. 12/8/2015 Proposals 5 and 5A appear to be the most reasonable. Proposals 3 and 5C are fine, but the rest seem inadequate. As the mother of a High School student and one student that has just moved into 7th grade, I can honestly say that our lives would have a lot less conflict and our students would be far less likely to sleep during class if they had the later start time for school. So I "vote" for the 5C scenario. Teens really need sleep in order to do their best in school. They do not need lots and lots of homework or school hours. They need 12/8/2015 reasonable student to teacher ratios and sleep.

Thank you for allowing us to give feedback on this process. I am strongly in favor of a later start time for those in the secondary grades and a shorter 12/8/2015 day for all grades. Having looked over all of the scenarios, I would most like to see Scenarios 5 & 5A implemented with 5C and 3 as runners‐up. Thank you so much for re‐evaluating the length of the school day and for providing an opportunity for feedback! It is greatly appreciated! Our family currently has 2 students in elementary school. We have been struggling with the long school day for several reasons. Our children are constantly worn out and tired. Also, we have very little time for extra‐curricular activities and family time in the evening, in addition to finishing homework. We 12/8/2015 support the proposed scenarios with a shorter day and earlier dismissal time. I thought it was best to keep kids on a scheduled routine, not to mention, most parents work days don't change on a normal basis. If the teachers are needing more time to prepare, don't they have the option to come in early or stay late? Starting late in the middle of the week is not 12/8/2015 conducive to a routine.

Thank you for sharing the presentation. Of the options available I think 5A is worth considering. The later start time for both types of school is nice as 12/8/2015 well as a more compact day allows for kids to have a little more kid time during the day. The savings of a bus may help offset other costs. The shortened day for EL is making it increasingly difficult for parents who work. The current time frame works well with a late start on Wednesdays. If you are also shifting to lengthen the summer, this also affects parents who work and inflicts a great hardship to find adequate, safe, and affordable care. If anything‐‐allow for more time with greater breaks‐‐especially at lunch and for recess. It is not necessarily the length of the day, but the intensity of the day that is needs adjusting. 20 minutes for lunch is not enough. The children need a more spacious schedule‐‐20 minutes for lunch is 12/9/2015 ludicrous.

My children are at Childs elementary. We need a shorter day! I have family all over Indiana, and I don't know of any other school district in the state that has as long or a longer day. Our school day length cuts into our time as a family. They have less time to be involved in extra curricular and physical activities. These kids need a more well rounded day so that they can grow up to be healthy and functional adults. My kids are home at 4 and we are luckier than most families in that respect bc we walk to school. Between dinner, homework, and getting ready for bed, there is no time for anything else! I have noticed that my daughter is becoming a bit over weight. But we have little time for her to be physically active. Our children and 12/9/2015 families are suffering because of our district's schedule. Fix it!!

I am so glad you are considering shortening the school day and delaying start for high schoolers! I have a child in elementary and 2 in high school and think this is a wise move. My son gets on the bus at 7:50am and gets home at 4:40pm. That is just too long of a day for a 7‐year‐old!!And I hate seeing 12/9/2015 my girls struggle with such an early morning to go and wait in the dark to get on the bus at 6:50am. Starting at 10:35 is crazy! School age care will be filled to the max with students! Honestly I do not know the answer but I do know 10:35 start time is 12/9/2015 not it! I'm a kindergarten mother. I do not like wednesdsy late start. My son already being getting up the same time all other days and have to go to gym on wednesday just because of late start. Can the teacher development be on after school instead of Wednesday morning. It's especially confusing for kids and working mother like me. Regarding middle and high school kids start early. I have a middle school cousin, her bus arrives at 6:45 every morning, it's too dark and dangerous for her. When I was in middle school 17 years ago, our class start at 8:10. I think that is a better 12/9/2015 for kids.

I believe that Scenarios 5, 5A and 5C make the most sense. Scenario 5C is especially appealing because it aligns with pediatrician recommendations regarding the well‐being of our secondary students. Not only will they be more wakeful and engaged and healthier, a likely consequence is that student performance will improve, thereby lifting up the scores of the entire district. To address a few concerns:(1) Some may worry about the availability of time for after‐school activities for high schoolers, such as sports and clubs. Clubs can still meet after school as they always have ‐‐ meetings will be over by 5 ‐‐ which leaves plenty of prime evening time for studying, jobs, and family time. Sports can still have practice at their usual times ‐‐ my daughter's practices usually started after 5 anyway, so we'd have to drive her back to school. With this delayed schedule, the possibilities are opened up for meetings and practices before school if necessary.(2) Elementary students may have to wait for buses while it is still dark out ‐‐ in most locations, this does not pose any additional danger. For those whose kids are out alone on more rural roads, perhaps the parents can wait with them in their vehicles. This is done by many already, and with these younger kids, the parents are up anyway, helping to get them ready. 12/9/2015 The flip side is that the earlier start time for the youngest kids allows parents to get to jobs at earlier times. I think that the high schoolers should get the same times as the elementary kids because of the overwhelming evidence that it is not good for students 12/9/2015 to have to wake up as early as they are now. Push back start time for elem. to 9am and secondary to 8am. End the day a half hour earlier at both levels, too. That's still over 6 hrs of instruction time. Drop the late Wed. and have it count as one of the two usually held faculty meetings at end of the day. There is no need for PLC to 12/9/2015 be every week. It is overkill.

I like the options that are the least disruptive to the current busing situation, which include 5, 5A, 5B and 5C. Those options support later start times for secondary schools, which is really important to me, since I have a teenager in high school. I don't support any option that makes any child's day longer than it already is, so that eliminates 5B. Of the remaining three, 5A is my favorite, with 5 being an OK alternative. I like 5A because it allows the later start time for secondary schools, while allowing elementary kids to be dismissed earlier. I work in the school system, and I 12/9/2015 can see first‐hand the effects of the school day being too long for the younger kids. I don't think starting 20 minutes later is going to make much difference in lack of sleep for older kids. If you are going to make a change for once doing something that will actually make a difference. I think Elementary school children start time is appropriate but I do feel it should be shortened 12/9/2015 by an earlier dismissal. As a teacher, there are absolutely days that feel extremely long for both myself and my elementary aged students. Two days a week, we have no specials and thus have nearly 7.5 hours of instructional time. It can be draining at times. I don't think a huge overhaul is necessarily the right choice (5B), however, there is a greater sense of urgency to both teach and learn when there is less time. Efficiency increases, in my opinion and from 12/9/2015 my experience. Thank you. I fully support 5C. 5C allows for the best case scenario for all grade levels. Secondary gets a later start which is recommended through research as well 12/9/2015 as elementary gets a shortened day. I think the current start times are working, our children (aside from high schoolers) will be awake and ready to be at school earlier anyways because 12/9/2015 parents have to be up and be at work. Later start time will just increase the need for morning care. 12/9/2015 I vote for option 5C.

I dont agree with a later start time. The children are still going to get up at the same time. The parents will just have to find morning care and will not 12/9/2015 change the number of hours of sleep the kids get. It is the parents responsibility to make sure children are getting the required amount of sleep. If you dare move secondary schools to an earlier start time it will be abundantly clear to me that you do NOT have the students best interest in mind and I will not ever again vote to approve a referendum for this school system. It is very sad to me that only one of these scenarios have high school students with a start time in line with recommendations from the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics. Come on MCCSC it's time to do right by these kids and listen to professionals and parents. If you want us to keep funding your programs listen to our concerns and take actions to address 12/9/2015 them.

Scenario 5a seems like a good option. It moves the secondary school day start a little later, shortens the elementary school day some, and requires one fewer bus. I highly dislike any option that moves the start of the secondary day later at the expense of moving the elementary day earlier. Having 12/9/2015 the youngest kids waiting for the bus in the dark even more of the year is not a good option.

12/9/2015 Please select option 5c and let our kids be kids. Allow them to get home and have time for play as well as homework and extracurricular activities. Any options that required additional buses or earlier start times for secondary students were not considered by us. All the 5A, 5B, and 5C seemed an 12/9/2015 improvement over the current schedule. Option 5C was our top preference. If I'm understanding this right Elementary will not start until 10:35? If that is the case that is dumb! All of these parents will have to find a babysitter for 2 hours or more before school for the kids everyday not just one day like is now. The ending hour is what needs to be changed. So many families have after school activities and it is hard when they don't get home until 4:10 and they have homework, have to get supper and then run to the activities at 5:30 and when you have more then 1 kid it's very difficult. You can't pull the kids from after school activities just because they get out so late. It needs to go back the way it used to be 9:00‐3:15. And if there is a problem of high school students falling asleep because they didn't get enough sleep because they had to get up early. Then be a parent and put their butt to bed early. When they graduate what's their excuse going to be then as to why they can't get to work on time. They need to get used to it in high school because they will be out in the real world very soon after. This having a late day on Wednesday is not working either. It needs to be one set hour all week. I know you aren't going to make everybody happy but just change it back to 9:00‐3:15 and I think 8:30‐2:30 is what it used to be for high school. It's 12/9/2015 not super early for high school and it's early enough for elementary at night to be able to do extra curricular activities.

I do no think the school day should be shortened at all. Our students need the instructive time, as well as more time for brain breaks in order for the instruction to be the most effective.I do not understand why a discussion about shortening the school day was included in most of the presentation. Most of the research has found our school day as a whole is one of the shortest in the world and we, as a nation, are behind scholastically. Additionally, the drive for a change in the school day seems to be tied to the start times for the older kids. There is science behind the process of pushing this back for middle and high school children. However, little was discussed about the start time. The Wednesday late start should be 12/9/2015 eliminated. It does not further the education of our students.

I'm grateful for the scenarios presented and I relieved that the school board is listening to the voices of the community about the start and end times, Option 5C meets the needs of the most people.the research speaks for itself in terms of what is best for secondary aged students, starting at 8:45 would allow optimal focus and concentration. It also still allows time for extra curricular activities and allow time for students who work. Option 5C is almost perfect for elementary aged children. Elementary students go to bed early and are physically and mentally alert in the morning to start at 8:00. Dismissing at 2:45 guarantees young children will be home before dark every day. It's also likely that it will would help the sub shortage with a shorter school day and the idea that teachers could make appointments after school hours instead of taking time off. 5C is a real solution to the 12/9/2015 problems set before the board, it doesn't cost the district any busses, and would very likely help with the sub shortage. 5C is the option that meets the most needs of the students in all age categories . Please do not take a middle of the road approach with 5a that helps only a little. Take this opportunity to make a real difference that helps our kids! This community has to live with this decision for a number of years. 12/9/2015 Help our students! Praise to eliminating the delay start to the day on Wednesday! While I appreciate everything that the school system is trying to do to not only educate our children but also make the best selection for our students, I have no issue with the current start and end times for all the school. My only suggestion would be to not send the elementary school children home before 3:45 pm. Given this is December 9th and everyone has already had to make their tax saver benefit allocations for next year, a big change in time will impact families with child care that they could have accounted for in November. For example, our family currently sends our elementary age children to morning care daily and then I am home in the afternoon when they return from school. Dismissing the elementary school children before 3:30 would make an impact on our families finances as we have not budgeted for both morning and after school care. Please consider the timing of the change we making these decisions. Families create work schedules and activity schedules based on these schedules. They also budget what they expect to spend on before or after care for their children and a big change at this time would hurt a lot of families.Please, please keep the elementary 12/9/2015 dismissal to after 3:30 pm. 12/9/2015 I like 5C. Our school day is too long for our kiddos. 12/9/2015 I support 5 C. Research supports a later start for teens. This schedule makes the most sense.

Thank you so much for taking the time to give our school day the thought it deserves. As a veteran elementary teacher, I feel very strongly about the length of the day for students. I have taught multiple grade levels and have seen the impact a lengthy day has on our student population. In the proposed school day, I feel as though scenario 5c is the best. This will allow for elementary students to learn and reach critical thinking in the prime of their day. This also allows for secondary to have a more productive day during the time when they are more able to learn. As an elementary teacher, I believe we are wasting the 8:00‐9:00 am time period each day by not instructing during this time. Elementary students should start school no later than 8:00 am with secondary following. For dismissal time, the elementary population's school day should end no later than 3:00 pm. Thank 12/9/2015 you again for considering many options as you search for the appropriate schedule for our students. The loss of instructional time is a concern. But I am not convinced that all schools use every minute of that time is used well at least at the Elementary level. I believe elementary specials are very important but I don't think my grandson needs an hour straight of Art each week. Is there a way to 12/9/2015 shorten Elementary Art and Music to still allow the same ELA and Math instruction time? 12/9/2015 My vote is for 5A, B, or C!!! Based on the evidence‐based needs for kids. Only scenario 5C is in line with American Academy of Pediatrics recommended start time for middle/high school. Therefore only 5C makes sense. 12/9/2015 Please go with 5C! Thanks. 12/9/2015 I am in favor of Scenario 5C. Later start time for Secondary is the most important thing. 12/9/2015 I teach Kindergarten and a shorter day would do us wonders! I vote for 5B or 5C! The only scenario which takes into account the American Academy of Pediatric's recommendations is 5C. This has the necessary post‐8:30 start time for secondary students. It also features a shorter day for younger kids. Using these guidelines as a starting point, you should be able to come up 12/9/2015 with other scenarios which would work, but if this is it, definitely have to go with 5C. 12/9/2015 5 or 5A look like a great choice. Secondary students don't need time added to there day ‐‐ definitely shorten the day for all. Having a before school program for elementary kids on Wednesdays would be nice. However, my daughter goes to Fairview and they don't have 12/9/2015 before or after care, that I know of. I am currently a high school student at Bloomington High School South. I have been a part of MCCSC since kindergarten, and I have found that over the years, the school schedule has changed dramatically. I remember when the school year started in late August, and I could leave elementary school at 3:15, even as the day began at 9:00 am. I have played multiple varsity sports in high school, so I understand how the school day is impacted by sport schedules. I have friends who participate in swimming and wake up at 4:30 am to swim before school. One of the main points on the agenda is to push back the daily start time, but if the school boards chooses to put that extra time on the end of the day, kids will be losing more sleep due to decreased homework time than they are gaining with the later start time. Many students also work, sometimes because it is necessary to their livelihood, and the later dismissal will also impact that in a negative way. I would be interested to see if the graduation rate has actually increased with the increase in school day length, as the extra hours are not always an incentive to those who are already on the fence about completing high school. I understand that the school board has received numerous complaints about the length of both the school day and year length, and there is no obvious solution. But, please keep in mind that teenagers do tend to sleep later, but the later school day also decreases our time for extra curricular activities and can 12/9/2015 be a detriment to the total amount of sleep we receive.

If parental input is to be considered at all, I prefer option 5A. The later start and shorter school day is just what our kids need. They must have down time. Mine seem to have none, if they are in any after school activities. They get home so late from school, that they don't have time to attend 12/9/2015 practice, finish homework, AND play. So play is what is eliminated ‐ and that his not fair or healthy for them. Thank you. I am a high school student at BHSS. I think the start time for high school and middle school should be later than it is at this time. I have a few hours of homework each night. That means I don't usually go to be until after 10, sometimes as late as 12. I live pretty far out of town so I have to get up early. In school it takes me awhile to wake up, sometimes I don't really feel awake until after second period. I am just a kid so I don't know 12/9/2015 the solution to this problem, I just know it needs to be fixed.

Ending ANY school day at 3:50 is bad practice for multiple reasons: 1. If secondary starts later, kids will just stay up later not get more sleep. This doesn't prepare them for every other phase of life where they must get up and be a productive citizen. 2. With bus riding, etc. students aren't getting home until close to 5pm. No time for any activity outside or just down time and play time before dinner, homework. Ending the day this late provides less opportunities for balance in a students' life and less quality time for parents with their children. 3. Extracurriculars, both inside and outside of school, would be inhibited by a later release time. No one argues that the elementary school day is too long and goes too late. But switching it so secondary goes later doesn't fix the issue, but just creates another issue. You don't want to fix one issue by creating another one. Cutting time off the days doesn't mean less true instructional time, just a reprioritizing of the day by educators. It says that outside pursuits are valued, as well as downtime away from the traditional schooling (test prep, etc.). If MCCSC wants to compete with the charters 12/9/2015 that are appealing to parents, a key factor they may need to show they value the whole child and the families by giving them back time. My opinion is that 5.c provides the best way to meet the challenges of the H.S. later starting times goal. It would also shorten the extremely long elementary day.Only one extra bus is needed. We have relatives in S.Bend / Mishawaka and their day for H.S. is later starting times, with elementary going in earlier; the system works and parents are satisfied once they get used to the change. Let us do this and more learning will occur leading to 12/9/2015 higher test scores. Please do something progressive and daring. SCENARIOS 5 OR 5A These would be closer to RECOMMENDED Start time. Plus if students still have to walk to school it would almost be daylight. I 12/9/2015 think it worked out just fine to the old start times that the school used to have. 5C is the only scenario with a decent start time for secondary. Shorten the day for those students so they leave at 3:30 and this is a fine scenario for 12/9/2015 both secondary and elementary.

The change that was made to make the school day longer was preceded with a promise for additional instruction time. That did not come to fruition. Additional time for homework and free reading time was what was added. The current day is too long. All research supports later start times for middle and high school and earlier start times for elementary students. We are ignoring the research and instead focusing on the convenience of 12/9/2015 these start times. I think that MCCSC has done a poor job of meeting the needs of the students.

I believe that the Elementary Schedule and the High School Schedule should be switched. Elementary students are up earlier/easier than high school students. Extra curricular activities/homework with High School students keep them up later in the evenings preventing them to get a full nights sleep. I also believe that going back to the traditional school year calendar instead of creating a year round calendar suits most families better. I have been part of a school system that has had both calendars and can attest to the fact that there are no "extreme" benefits to a year round 12/9/2015 school year for the district/corporation nor to the families involved. 12/9/2015 5B would be the most beneficial for elementary students.

There are two things we know for certain from the research: teens do better with a later start time, and more hours in school doesn't mean greater achievement. (Think about the fact that MCCSC was a darn fine school corp. back when it had the shortest school day in the state.) These are facts. I'm disappointed that several of the options move secondary even earlier when all the evidence is abundant that this is bad for teens' health. When you're considering reduced school time, I think it's important to remember that these are children. The little ones will play at the Boys and Girls Club in the afternoon; the older ones will be on sports teams or in the arts. In other words, shortening the day will give them time to be kids: that's as important to their mental and emotional development as being at a desk all day. Please strongly consider option 5C. And 12/9/2015 perhaps poll the teachers about whether that Wed. late start is time well spent. 12/9/2015 I feel like scenarios 2,3, & 5 B would be most efficient in terms of start day times. 5 or 5A makes the most sense. No additional buses needed and later start times for the high school. The high school students would still get out 12/9/2015 before the elementary kids for child care issues. I am against changing the school hours for high school. If kids know they will go in later the will stay up later at night still getting the same amount of sleep. What about after school activies and jobs? Some kids have to work for college money. And what about working parents that have to be at work at 8am? I will never let my child stand out on a busy street (Sare Road) to catch the bus it's bad enought she has to walk thru the entire neighborhood to get to the front. Buses don't drive thru only pick up on major roads!. I think we are catering to kids these day giving them 12/9/2015 everything they want!!

As a teacher and a parent, it is imperative that we look at the research on when students do their best learning and use that to drive the school day. I 12/9/2015 prefer that elementary students begin earlier and high school students begin later based on research about students best learning. HI,I reviewed the proposals and would like to support option 5C. Science tells us that secondary students should start school after 8:30am. I also think a shorter day for younger students is developmentally appropriate. Thank you for putting so much thought into this topic and for requesting public 12/9/2015 feed back. I appreciate it!Megan Nolan 12/9/2015 Start secondary school later! Teenagers don't need to wake up that early! I am strongly in support of option 5B or 5C. I have a daughter in 2nd grade and a 3 year old son. I feel that the elementary school day is too long for young kids, and there is little time left after school to be active or do anything besides homework, dinner, and get ready for bed. I also worry about the 12/9/2015 start time of secondary school being too early for the older kids. I would like to support options that shorten the elementary school day and have students get home no later than 4 p.m. and shorten the bus ride. I am 12/9/2015 strongly opposed option 6. Scenario 5C looks promising. The two scenarios that I think are the best are #5 and #5A. Both of these options would save MCCSC school district money since no additional buses 12/9/2015 would be required, but would still allow for a later start for Secondary schools. 12/9/2015 5bElementary needs a shorter school day. Longer day for secondary would be good for more rigourous and in depth coursework. I think the only scenario that makes sense is 5. I don't understand if you want us to get more sleep, scenario 7 is silly. 7:25?? That makes no 12/9/2015 sense and affects lots of sports Please do not consider options that will make the school day longer. Our kids are already putting in more than enough hours. They are exhausted, and 12/9/2015 it is hard to fit in family time and extra curricular activities. 12/9/2015 Later start, but earlier dismissal to benefit student with jobs, and students who attend sporting events 12/9/2015 I support and encourage the change to start middle school at 8am or later.

I feel like scenario 5C is the best option for both elementary and secondary. Starting later, as research has shown, has many proven benefits for students. As an elementary school teacher (first grade), my first graders come in ready and raring to go early in the morning. The early start will be fine for them. By 3:00, they are ready to be done. Ending the day at 2:45, will enable them to have more playtime and outside time before it gets dark and before their early bed times.Scenario 6 seems to go in the opposite direction of the purpose of this work. Starting elementary at 9:35 and ending it at 4:30 leaves little time for them to play, be outside, have family time before it gets dark and before their early bed times. It also does 12/9/2015 nothing to correct the early start time for high schoolers. don't we have one of the longest school days in the state? do not add time! For elementary kids they are exhausted when they come home. Teens need to start at 8 or later. Get rid of the painful late start Wed. Scenario 5A seems to provide the best balance. I don't think it would be good for kids to transition from at 5:15 day to a 7Hr day as they move from elementary to secondary...as 5B would have that transition is hard 12/9/2015 enough. 12/9/2015 I like 5A, 5b, and the 2010‐2011 school year schedules the best as both a parent and an employee. I like the proposed 5 and 5A. I feel that the students will be as engaged, maybe more with a slightly shorter day. I feel that as much can be 12/9/2015 accomplished in that time as well. If the teachers are not finding the Wednesday late start very valuable, I would prefer eliminating it. I would also avoid having three separate start times for elementary, intermediate, and secondary as in the latter scenarios. This would be really tough for families. That leaves my first choice as 5A, followed by 4, then 2 if the Wednesday late start can't be eliminated. Thank you for considering shortening the school day. It is too long for my elementary aged kids (and probably for them once they hit upper grades as well). They come home exhausted and cranky. My guess is that 12/9/2015 diminishing academic returns are gained after 6 hours in school. I liked #7, Elementary 2, 8:30‐3:40 I don't agree with cutting instructional hours. Elem school day should not start any earlier that 8:30am. It is hard enough as it is to get my kids up as it is. Starting any earlier would result in tired and cranky children in class who are not able to learn. Their bus picks them up at 8. Which is perfect for us. I did not like any of the secondary start time options. 5B is a second option if they would provide targeted tutoring after class for the elem. The afterschool program doesn't count. My child is in that and there is NO instruction. They just play and have 12/9/2015 a good time which is great.

Why the heck doesn't the website list those proposals for those who weren't at the meeting? Without those details, I can only say that the overwhelming evidence demands a later start time for secondary students, and if only one of the ten proposals included that, it's likely more 12/9/2015 proposals should be added. However, unless that single proposal is particularly impractical, it is probably preferable to what we have now.

12/9/2015 Please consider 5A. Elementary kids get out too late! They're exhausted. Have high school and middle school go later if you need that. We should have Scenario 5A because more people would get to school on time, you wouldn't have to have as many bus drivers, and the 12/9/2015 Wednesday later start times aren't necessary. Please choose scenerio 5A because that would allow us to get more sleep and perform better in school, also have time for breakfast and more people 12/9/2015 would get to school on time and miss less class. I used to be smart but now school is too long. Hello, I am a student at Bloomington High School South and I think that we should go back to the 2010‐2011 school schedule. Here are some reasons why... I have only eaten breakfast maybe two times this whole year, I am constantly missing my bus because my body does not fully function at 6:50 in the morning, which wastes my parents gas because they have to drive me to school every morning, and by the end of the day I am exhausted and I don't feel like even going to fifth period because I just want to go home and sleep. I have an amazing attendance record but I feel that, that is beginning to become compromised because of how early I have to wake up and how long I have to go to school. Extracurricular activities aren't getting out until seven or eight at night and then we have to stay up late to finish all our homework that our teachers have piled on us. Sometimes our homework doesn't even get done because we still have to get some sleep for school the next day. I hope that you will please read my feedback 12/9/2015 and take it into consideration since this greatly affects me as a student.

I believe that the district would see fewer absences if the elementary day ended between 2:45‐3:00. This allows for parents to schedule doctor appt. during a larger after school window. Elementary students are still getting annual or biannual check‐ups and the 4:00 end time does not allow for appointments. If the school day begins at 8:35 the students are actually in the classrooms at 8:20. I think that this time should be accounted for. The 12/9/2015 teachers are required to have materials ready for students that arrive at 8:20.

I think we should look at the 9‐3:15. A lot of people sleep in because they can't get up that early. I know so many students that skip their morning meal because they don't have enough time to eat. People have done research and seen that school starting at 9 has kids more awake 12/9/2015 and prepared to learn. Think about the kids and see what they want since they're the ones that have to deal it.

Please consider 5a or 5c, and please don't do scenario 6 or 7. As a high school student, I simply cannot focus in first period as I am usually about to fall asleep. We have to wake up so early that I often have to fight falling asleep on the bus due to my sleep‐deprivation. Especially with so many 12/9/2015 homework assignments and extra curricular activities, expecting a student to come to school before 8 is ridiculous. 5A is the best option. 20 more minutes of sleep will help all students. I really liked the old school day, and I wish the day could go back to that. If not, I 12/9/2015 would like 5A. In the two classes that we discussed the scenarios every single student agreed that 5a is the best choice. With an extra 20 minutes and more daylight time in the morning, students will have more motivation to get up and go to school. If you choose the scenarios that involve extra time in the afternoon I could guarantee that you would receive many complaints from students, teachers, and parents that are involved in extra curricular 12/9/2015 activities.

In my opinion,I think MCCSC should switch back to the 2010‐2011 school schedule. I think this because when school started at 8 everyday, it gave me 12/9/2015 time to actually eat, and enjoy breakfast, and gave me more time to take a shower or finish an assignment due that day. 12/9/2015 I like scenario 5a the best The 7‐12th graders start too early and this causes health and attention issues. A major priority needs to focus on this age group due to the clear science with regards to natural body sleep cycles. The elementary school schedule works well and should not be changed. Perhaps you could start the 12/9/2015 elementary kids at the same time as is currently offered and then pick up the older kids (7‐12th) after those bus runs have been completed. I believe that the previous schedule was extremely beneficial for students. The day was short enough that the students weren't overwhelmed, 12/9/2015 but long enough that the content was presented appropriately to the students. In looking over the various scenarios, I cannot imagine elementary schools starting before 8:00 am, nor can I imagine them letting out after 4:00 pm! As it is currently, my child is the first picked up on his bus route, and the last dropped off (sometimes, not getting home until after 5:00 pm). If school started earlier, he would be getting on the bus around 6:30 am, if his bus route stayed the same. If let out after 4:00 pm, he would not get home until after 5:30 pm. Perhaps if his bus route were different...and to me his current route makes no sense at all...altering start or stop times so drastically 12/9/2015 might not be quite as bad. I think this is great! My children are late risers and this would really work!! They would have more morning time to read and get things done from the 12/9/2015 night before.

In most of these scenarios, the high school days do not seem to get much shorter than the current 6hr and 45m structured class time, and 7hr and 15m total time in the school with lunches and passing periods that we currently have. I know that the major issue for high school was how early we have to start in the morning, but there also needs to be an emphasis on how long the high school students are in school everyday. I know there is a lot of extra time spent sitting in class at the end of the periods. This isn't because teachers need to teach more, it's because students don't need to be in classes for 6hr and 45m a day. High school students should go from 8:30‐2:55.I linked articles supporting a shorter school day for high school students and supporting an 8:30am or later start time for high school and middle school students.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0a hUKEwjh2ZDyvc_JAhXppIMKHQayD2UQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F2011%2F11%2F12%2Fhigh‐school‐pressure‐ stud_n_1090158.html&usg=AFQjCNFvsIvO1NFk0nxGq0dYL0‐ 12/9/2015 4LXGkDQhttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a1.htmhttp://www.cdc.gov/features/school‐start‐times/index.html 1) NO to Scenarios 1‐3 because it does not eliminate the Wednesday late start. The late start on Wednesdays is disruptive to families' routines. 2) NO to Scenario 5B ‐ we should not go back to the extreme of the shortest school day in Indiana for elementary students. 3) NO to Scenario 6 ‐ absolutely ridiculous that elementary kids are not in school until 9:35 (elementary‐aged kids are wired to be awake early) and equally ridiculous that they are in school until 4:20 (what about after‐school activities?)4) NO to Scenario 7 ‐ this scenario goes completely against what parents are primarily concerned with a) an early start time for secondary students and b) the day is too long for elementary school students Scenario 5C is the only one that addresses the issue of secondary students starting later but could use some slight adjustmentsMy proposal:Secondary: 8:35‐3:40Elementary: 7:50‐ 12/9/2015 2:35 12/9/2015 I think my kids would definitely benefit from a late start time. Thank you for taking time to consider alternatives to the current school day. I would support any change that removes the late start on Wednesday 12/9/2015 (or any day). It is disruptive to routine and difficult for my family, with two working parents, to accommodate. I would love to see our start and end times have some consistency and some pattern. Starting on the hour or half hour is so much easier for parents 12/9/2015 to keep track.

6 hours is long enough for our elementary students. We can incorporate play based time and brain breaks at home with our kids. We do not need 12/9/2015 that time to be included in our students' class time. This just tells us that the day is too long and the students are not engaged. Scenario 5C is definitely the most appealing for me, as a highschool student. My younger brother is in fifth grade and also agrees that this would be 12/9/2015 the best option. My whole family is thrilled that this subject is being debated, we hope the right choice is made. 12/9/2015 High School students should go to school from 8:30 to 2:55. The only worry I have about putting the elementary school students into school too much later is that more parents are going to have to drop them off early to get to work on time. I would have to incur an extra cost for my family if their schedule gets pushed back any more than 10 or 15 minutes later. I feel like if the older kids get pushed later, that would be ok, because they could get themselves on a bus, or to school on time. I would not 12/9/2015 trust my kids to be left alone to get themselves to school yet. I think we needs shorter days. My kids get used early for elementary school the are there all day by the time they get home it's almost 4:30 off the buss then I have play time, homework dinner and showers and bedtime. There is not a lot of time to get that all done before bedtime. There are time we don't even really get to play because of everything else going on. I think the 8:30 to 3:15 for Elementary. Also my daughter is in 1st 12/9/2015 grade and she is so tired by the time she gets home from the long day This is insane Starting school at 10:35 on a Wed. Who cares if before schools starts at 8:20 working parents are still late for work by this time, plus take in the drive time to the school that is not on the way to work. When will you start listening to the parents? Why ask the questions if you don't 12/9/2015 care about the answers we give. Late start Wed. needs to go.

5b! This would provide the best educational opportunity for the students. Small children wouldn't be in a classroom forced to sit still for so long. 12/9/2015 There is really only so much content small children can learn in a day, then it becomes crowd control and disruptive behaviors occur. 12/9/2015 Where are the suggested start and end times for next year? Please provide a link for me to look at that.

I have four kids, two of which have started school at MCCSC. One is a kindergartener and one is in second grade. We love the schools. The days are just incredibly long for our kids‐‐particularly through second grade. We can tell now that our second grader is beginning to "survive" the long day. Through kindergarten and first grade, our kids struggled mightily with the length of the day. They were not only exhausted by the end of the day, but by the time they ate a snack and relaxed a bit when they got home, it was dinner time. There was barely enough time between dinner and bedtime to finish homework‐‐much less have a practice for sports or anything else. We beg the school system to shorten the day, and‐‐please‐‐end it 12/9/2015 earlier. We particularly support option 5B, but would also support 5C or 5A. I think it is ridiculous that some of the senarios consider an even earlier start time for middle school and high school than the current 7:40 a.m. All the 12/9/2015 research shows that adolescents need a later start time. I'll be the mom next year of a middle school student and high school ‐ so I vote for as late in the morning as you can make it. I know my freshman's grades for the 7:35 classes have been AWFUL! He doesn't wake up until about 2nd period! Thank you for at least looking at this problem. Late start Wednesday has GOT TO GO! I don't believe teachers are utilizing this time in proportion to the inconvenience and wage losses of parents waiting to take their kids to school. They are walking in with us on Wednesdays! Seriously! This day is a big joke & everyone 12/9/2015 knows it! I know people argue about athletics, but school comes before athletics! Period!

More thoughts on school day. After looking at proposals, I am concerned to see a huge loss of instructional time esp. At the elementary level, especially for elem schools like Fairview. Children who attend affluent east side schools would probably maintain growth but I think this will be detrimental for low income children who have very few opportunities for enrichment at home. I do think the elem day can be shortened a little bit to allow for a somewhat later start time for secondary students not by hours and hours as some of the proposals.I appreciate the Amer. Academy of Pediatrics recommendations but unfortunately these recommendations do not fit our current reality especially if we want to proveide all children with a good education.I really hope the school board is honestly concerned for all student learning. I also am concerned about moving Elem PLC time to after school. Elem teachers are often exhausted at the end of the school day. Even if a principal enforces after‐school PLC, teachers will have other 12/9/2015 things on their minds, like picking up kids, getting dinner on table, soccer practice. I am concerned that our quality PLCs will be lost

I am in 4th grade and I think scenario 5C would be the best choice. Kids should be getting out earlier when it's still light out and you can do more 12/9/2015 things. Right now when you get home you only have an hour and then it gets dark and it's just too long. We are so tired after school! 5C looks good and seems to go along with the research that shows secondary students should start later in the morning. It is also something that 12/9/2015 works better for the elementary students.

Schedules 5 and 5A make the most sense, cost‐wise and day‐length wise. The secondary kids can get an extra 1/2 of sleep and there is only the need for one more bus. The 8:00AM‐2:30PM schedule we had for secondary schools was perfectly fine and did not need to be changed in the first place. Starting school later than 8:00AM is not necessary. Kids will still be up at 5:30‐6:00AM to get ready and stand at the bus stop ‐ especially the rural kids. After‐school activities will get bumped up to before school, so large numbers of teenagers will be getting...less sleep. Please make the rational 12/9/2015 decision, not the one that the (very) vocal minority demand you make!

I like 5A. 6 hours is just right for curriculum at the elementary level. 8:40 is a reasonable start time. Secondary starts at 8..a more reasonable time. 12/9/2015 Few bus changes are needed. Older students will be home in time to take care of younger students. The elementary day is way too long presently. Thank you for accepting comments. The elementary day as currently stands is too long, I don't believe our kids are getting any additional value as they stay until 3:50 pm. The total hours per year is less concerning to me vs the extra hour where they are in attendance and not really engaging. I would like to see one of the scenarios where the elementary students ended by 3:00 at the latest, so I'm assuming 5C would be one of the only 12/9/2015 ones. This also allows for enough post school time for extracirriculars, homework, etc. You should make the school length the way it was five years ago. Make school start at 8:35 and end at 2:55. It worked that way before, and it can 12/9/2015 work that way again. Students don't need tutorial time, it's a waste. 12/9/2015 Scenario 5A is the best 12/9/2015 Scenario 5A is the best Having been through this discussion before as a school board member, I suggest you just do it! Instead of having these rather ridiculous options, pick the times needed and reverse the bus schedules. I would pick 8:40 for MS and HS and 7:45 for elementary. Do not shorten the school day. All the research indicates that a longer school day is most beneficial for all kids. We tried too hard for too long to lengthen the school day to go back to the 12/9/2015 bad old days. Good luck with this. It is long overdue.

If all else fails go back to the old schedule. I understand the wanting for a longer school day so kids have more time to learn. But, I don't think the time is used wisely. The kids get brain breaks and extra recess. Having a longer day is mainly for parents to have day care. Kids can only focus for so long. I find my kids are tired on Tuesday (tired Tuesday) but seem to bounce back with the Wednesday late start. I have looked at all your scenarios and found 5A the best if you are going to make a later start time for middle and high school students. I agree that the school day is too long! I think it's a bad idea to start the little kids at 8:00am because it is so dark and cold at 7:25am in the mornings. It would not be as much of a problem if Bloomington was on central time. I think it's dangerous to have them out so early. I will miss the late start times if they are eliminated. This is not an easy task. But, not everyone will be happy. We need to do what is best for the kids. Having a longer school day is not 12/9/2015 always best either. I will have a middle schooler starting next year and we are deading the 7:40am start time. 12/9/2015 I am in favor of any scenario that involves eliminating the late start on Wednesdays.Thank you. Whatever you do Elementary school day needs to be shortened. The current schedule has the little ones in school way too long. Aim for 5 hrs 30 min. 12/9/2015 Oh wait you had that schedule prior to 2011. Maybe you had it right then. I'd like to see more options for later starts for secondary. If you feel the need to cut down on the elementary day it should be a very small cut. We have too many kids who need every minute in school and teachers need to feel like they have the time to give kids movement and social learning. 12/9/2015 The secondary day does not need shortening.

12/9/2015 I think the school day should reflect research and recommendations for student learning, and therefore a later start time for adolescents is best. Of all the scenarios, I prefer option 5c. I feel the current day is much too long for elementary children, and it has negatively affected my little kindergartener's well being. They should have more free time and activity in their lives. I believe strongly that high schoolers need a later start time. However, I do think that blocks of time like Panther Plus are good for many kids‐‐to have a chance to either catch up on work with assistance from teachers, or to have designated time to work on homework. So I am glad to see that the day, while starting later, would still be long enough for that to be an option. Having one child who graduated last year and one who is now a senior, I can attest that they were in constant states of exhaustion. My daughter developed insomnia her senior year, because she would try so hard to get to bed early and get a good night sleep, but she could never fall asleep that early, and then laying there would cause her anxiety...and so on. No matter what she tried, she was exhausted. It is the same for my son, only he realizes how futile it is to even try to fall asleep at 10 pm, and so just stays up until he feels tired. He is very active in soccer, and I feel that the lack of sleep is why he has already gotten sick FOUR times this year with colds and various flu like illnesses. The illnesses in turn cause him to miss school. He is constantly serving detention for being late in the am, because it is so difficult for him to get up. The current start time is terribly backwards and is ignoring the advice of both the AAP and the CDC; I just don't see how a school board can feel entitled to act in 12/9/2015 opposition to research and expert opinion. 5a. If secondary doesn't start later why mess with it. Only the 5s help secondary students. The day should have only been lengthened a half‐ hour 12/9/2015 when it changed in 2011. But now with all the assessments and special grouping what will go away?

I can not comment on the efficiency of bus routes, but I do know requests one and two are supported by inquiry based research. Please address them to the best of your ability. Elementary students should not be in school so long and secondary students should start later than they currently do so. I would gladly have my children in school for additional shorter days than fewer longer days. I feel like I can not truly comment on the scenarios without knowing how valuable teachers find the late Wednesday start. If they have found that time invaluable, then it should not be eliminated and scenario 3 seems the most reasonable. If teachers do not care about the late Wednesday start being eliminated, then let's do whatever we can to get the 12/9/2015 secondary students starting later and having the elementary students in school for shorter days. Scenario 5c seems like the best fit. Please shorten the elementary school day by 30‐60 minutes. My bright happy children are tired and don't have time to play. Not every child needs additional instructional hours. Please ask teachers how much work gets done after 3 pm when kids are tired. We spend additional time giving 2 12/9/2015 snacks a day and extra recess because the day is so long. 12/9/2015 The school day is much too long, for students and teachers alike.

I believe that 5C would be the best compromise for elementary and secondary schools. We start earlier for the younger students who are more 12/9/2015 focused in the early afternoon. The shorter day is much more ideal. Students are spent and tired by the last 45 minutes of the day. I have looked at all of the proposals and come to the conclusion that the 5A proposoal sounds like the best compromise. I'm currently a middle school student and I am not happy when my alarm goes off at 6:00 AM every day. This proposal has school starting a little bit later and has a little bit of a shorter school day. Most of the time that I am awake is spent focused on school. I spend over seven hours of my life at school each day and then I come home and have multiple more hours of homework. It is recomended that teenagers get 9‐10 hours of sleep every night, but I never find myself getting that much sleep. I would have to go to bed at 8:00‐9:00 PM to get that much sleep, but I am often not finished with my homework by that time. Add on any out of school activities and goodbye to my sleep. This option has a little bit of a later start time and we get out a little earlier. We lose 54 hours of school a year; that means more sleep for me. No additional busses will need to be added and overall, I feel like it is the best 12/9/2015 compromise for the next years. I think that the best compromise plan is plan 5A. It gives a slightly later start for high school students without getting out later, it gives a shorter day for elementary students, and it still has the older kids getting home first for younger siblings. It also will not cost the district with increased bussing. The proposals that cause a significant increase in busses don't have enough benefits to make them worth it. Any proposal that has the older kids starting at 7:40 or earlier is simply not reasonable. The proposals that increase the school day are also impractical because it is already too long, and 12/9/2015 time is not being used effectively anyway.

In a year with lower grades being awarded by the state to many of our schools, it's hard to fathom the proposal(s) of children receiving fewer 12/9/2015 instructional hours. I am highly supportive of eliminating Wednesday late starts‐ they are disruptive to student and family routines. Late starts on Wednesday are more than inconvenient they are disruptive to the education of students, and send a bad message to the community about the priorities of the school corporation. Also noticing that many of these new schedule options include reductions in the number of hours in school. This approach seems to go against the mission of the corporation focusing on the success of the students and future state rating of the 12/9/2015 individual schools. 12/9/2015 Prefer scenario 5A. Eliminate Wednesday late starts and reduce the length of the school day.

The school days need to be shorter! Why are our children attending school an additional hour to two hours past the minimum five hours required by the state? The day is way too long for elementary students. They have no time to just be kids. Not only are they in school for 7 1/2 hours but then 12/9/2015 they have homework every night as well. Please allow time for our children to just be kids and our families to have family time in the evenings. When the school day was lengthened, I feel we went too far. Further lengthening should not be an option. Shortening the day is not a defeat but a 12/9/2015 necessary adjustment.

I am fine with the length of the school day. I just wish the middle school and high school would start later. I didn't see any scenarios that 12/9/2015 facilitate that. It should definitely start no earlier than 8:30 and with the current bus schedules, 9:00 is even a reasonable time. I feel the elementary school day should end by 3:00. I think the school day is too long now, however if the district decided to shave only a short bit of time off of the school day, I believe our start time in elementary should be early enough so that regardless of hours in the school day, kids are done by 3:00. We cannot lose sight of the importance of the evenings for children to spend time with their family, eat dinner, participate in extra curriculars, etc. Ending our day at 3:50 as we have now makes this extremely difficult to do without having every evening extremely rushed. This leads to exhausted kids. In speaking with families in school districts where kids get out as early as 2:30, their evenings are vastly different than what the families of MCCSC are currently dealing with. Kids are consistently pulled out of school for doctors appointments because the school day lasts almost the entire business day, making it nearly impossible to fit in an appointment right after school. Elementary kids are at school far to late. If the district is 12/9/2015 set on the number of minutes we currently are in school, then start us early enough to be done by 3:00.

The schooldays should be shorter. The kids are so tired at the end of school day, they don't want to do anything but watch Their screens. We should have the state minimum school hours. My kids are so much happier on Late Wednesday. With all the extra‐curricular activities expected for 12/9/2015 college applications, it's hard for the kids to have much time. Listen to the teachers. They really know what the kids need. As a parent of a elementary student I prefer a shorter day I like scenario 5B. The children will be more alert and happy to learn with a shorter day, my son comes home exhausted from school and our evening time is hard because he is so tired from such a long day. It would be great to get the children 12/9/2015 home earlier to more quality family time it spent.

I would love to see us return to something close to the 2011 schedule ( secondary around 8‐2:30 ish and primary 9am ‐3:30). Scenerio 5c seems quite viable. Would love to see the high school and middle school students not have to be to school before most of their parents have to be at work (8am). I think it is valuable for family childcare and for the bus scheduling to have the secondary schools get out about an hour prior to the elementary schools, so that their are big sisters and brothers home to watch siblings getting off the bus from elementary school. Let us not forget that families 12/9/2015 need time to be together in the evening and for extra cuticulars! Thanks

I looked at every proposal carefully. I just don't understand why so many illogical options are being considered. Scenario 5C** seems to be the ONLY proposal that truly represents the necessary change in times for high school students to benefit from a revised schedule. Changing the high school start time to 7:55 or 8:00am (listed in other scenarios) isn't going to make a difference. I had THREE daughters go through BHSN from 2010‐2014 and they were all constantly sleep deprived and stressed out. They were all straight A students, involved in various sports and clubs, and even went to bed at a reasonable hour, but their internal body clocks were NOT programmed for the ridiculous early hours expected of teenagers. How in the world can we expect these kids to perform their best when the school schedule and policies are going counter to what all the experts say is best for our high schoolers? I beg you to take a leap of faith on this issue and truly make a drastic change to see if things improve (tardiness, performance, automobile accident rates, etc.) as they have shown to have done in other school districts. Younger, elementary kid are the ones who should be going to school earlier. They naturally go to bed earlier, get up earlier and function just fine at an early hour. Thank you for your willingness 12/9/2015 to consider this important issue! I really liked 5B I currently have a 2nd and 6th grader. By the time they get home from school they are grumpy and have no energy to have family time, which is very important! The school days are just way long and some of the time used at school is a waste of time. These children need more 12/9/2015 time with family and it needs to be quality and it's not right now. 12/9/2015 Start the school day later & end the school day earlier. Brain fatigue inhibits learning & is counter productive. 12/9/2015 I support high school start times that are later. Scenario 5A is my first choice.

I think Scenario 5c makes a lot of sense. It aligns well with the research on the sleep needs of elementary and secondary aged children, reduces the hours per year for elementary students by a reasonable amount and barely reduces the hours for secondary students, and does not increase the need 12/9/2015 for buses, which I assume is an indicator that it would not increase costs much and could reduce them. Scenario 5C appears to be the best scenario as it speaks to the research about secondary students being more alert at a later morning hour,and scenario 5c allows tem a extra hour and 5 minutes later than they're present starting time. No other of the scenarios give them the needed time 12/9/2015 in the morning.

I am attending Bloomington South. The school day starts too early. To be able to get enough sleep and wake up in time to be at school by 7:35, I would have to go to bed at 10 I am a very involved student, with my extracurricular activities and juggling all my homework it's hard for me to go to bed 12/9/2015 before 11, going to bed at 10 is unimaginable. I think that we should have a later start to our day so we can be healthy and happy high school students.

I like the 5B or 5C plan. I currently have two 8th graders. One is at Tri‐North and the other at the Bloomington Project School. BPS follows the 8:00 to 3:30 schedule, so it would not be such a transition for one child a relief to the other. However, I much prefer the later start option, as I feel it is more developmentally appropriate for my teenagers. I have an MS in Human Development and Family Studies. All the research points that teenagers need much more sleep than they are getting, and that they are biologically not hard wired to go to bed early. Sleep is a real issue at our house and so are morning tardies due to the sheer exhaustion my children are facing. My Tri‐North student comes home and takes a nap! These kids need sleep. Please consider the late start for these developing humans. Their brains need the extra rest to do all the important work they are doing. We would not ask an infant or toddler to wake up early and perform complex tasks. There is significant similarity to the rate of growth amd development that 12/9/2015 teenagers are experiencing. We have stop treating our teens in a punitive fashion and respond to their developmental needs. Quality VS Quantity! Please consider what is best for students and teacher, not what is best for a parent's work schedules. This is an important decision for our students. We need to ask ourselves, as adults, what is the best option for the education of our students. I have heard comments about how some of these options don't work for a parent's work schedule. This is not the priority!! Put your daycare, work schedule, and selfish thoughts out of this equation and focus on what is important for our students. Optimized learning environments don't necessarily 12/10/2015 accommodate parents work and daycare schedules!!! Quality VS Quantity! Please consider what is best for students and teacher, not what is best for a parent's work schedules. This is an important decision for our students. We need to ask ourselves, as adults, what is the best option for the education of our students. I have heard comments about how some of these options don't work for a parent's work schedule. This is not the priority!! Put your daycare, work schedule, and selfish thoughts out of this equation and focus on what is important for our students. Optimized learning environments don't necessarily 12/10/2015 accommodate parents work and daycare schedules!!! I hear of talk about high school needs to start early? I know we don't have transportation for all the schools to start at the same time.I 12/10/2015 don't think we should change times for the high school kids, if they need more sleep then make them go to bed. I like the 2010‐2011 school day. I feel that starting earlier and ending a little later will still benefit us in the classroom and be a reasonable amount of 12/10/2015 hours for the students. I feel that the 2010‐2011 school day is the best schedule for elementary school and secondary school because it allows enough time in class but is also 12/10/2015 very reasonable. As an elementary teacher within MCCSC I see a great need for a shorter school day. We spend several minutes each day doing brain breaks to keep our kids engaged. I am very fortunate and have specials at the end of my days. However, I know the teachers that do not and struggle to get meaningful instruction in toward the end of the day. We greatly appreciate you willingness to consider this. This is something that I think really needs 12/10/2015 to happen!

5C is the best of the options in my opinion. It balances cost savings related to the need to enable later start as well as lower costs related to transportation. I do feel the current start time for secondary schools is too early and my kids sleepwalk through school.Increasing elementary school times/duration is not a requirement for the school system. School is not daycare the school day should be enable learning when kids are awake and 12/10/2015 ready to learn not just house them. The before and after school programs enable day care for parents to support working. How do you expect these various proposals to work or be better for parents who work full time jobs??? Not everyone has a parent or grandparent 12/10/2015 that sits around all day waiting for their child to get off the bus.

I feel it would benefit the children in many positive ways if the elementary schools started earlier than the secondary schools. The research on the 12/10/2015 teenage brain alone is good cause to let the secondary schools have the later start time. Thank you for considering my feedback. Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback regarding the starting and ending times of the school day. I must say I am one of the few parents who currently like the elementary school schedule. It allows for my children to attend morning care each day but for me to be home with them after school to work on homework and of course have family time.I understand secondary parents concerns about the start time of the school day. As a parent who will have a 7th grader next year, I am a little concerned about the early start time. However, it isn't because of sleep time etc. I believe as parents it is our responsibility to teach our children right and wrong and that includes putting the electronics away and going to bed. That isn't the concern of the school system. Their main concern is to educate all children.With that said, I encourage the administration and board to consider keeping the elementary school dismissal time to after 3:30 pm. I believe it is a better fit for most families in the community.With the 3:30 pm dismissal time for elementary, parents who work part time and/or flexible schedules like myself and countless others in the community can still work each day and be home with their children after school. Also, it allows for older children to be home to help with child care for the elementary age. The additional child care cost for many families would be a burden with a change in schedule especially if for the last four and half years they have relied on a flexible schedule and/or older children to help with child care. Also, by keeping the elementary age children at the 3:30 dismissal, it allows for those youngest children to be waiting for buses and/or walking when it is light outside. I have heard countless times from the board members and administration that they fear putting little ones out in the dark waiting for the bus because they are less likely to pay attending the cars etc. Putting our youngest students waiting for buses in the dark is just careless as a community. Also, please consider the countless opportunities for children after school that are in our community. They set these schedules based on the school schedule. Having the elementary school children dismissed before 3:30 would also be a burden to those families who wish to participate in these programs. For example the YMCA gymnastic program would not be able to handle those changes because they would not have staff to run the programs nor parents who could participate because of the early dismissal time.In addition, MCCSC caught a lot of flack years ago for having the shortest school day schedule in the state. Scaling back the day to just over 5 hours isn't really helping our children. The day was lengthen to provide additional teaching and enrichment opportunities for our students. Losing all of that time is not good for the long term success for our children. I am not saying we should have the longest day in the state, but moving from a 5:25 minute day then to a 5:50 minute day then back to just over 5 hours could hurt many of our students who struggle with academics and/or need the have the time in school as their safe place from the outside influences that can lead to student success and/or failure.Finally, making a drastic change to the dismissal time for elementary age students is adding a financial challenge to families. As someone who uses my employee Tax Saver Benefit account to set aside funds for child care, the deadline has past for employees to make changes to the amount they set aside to help pay for child care. Many families rely on this non‐taxed fund to help pay for their child care. Making a huge change to the day will make families have to choose what their child care will look like and could be a huge burden to families financially.Again, I truly appreciate the hard work that has gone into researching and determining all of the options. I know it is no easy task and that you will never please everyone. However, I please ask that when 12/10/2015 making the decision on the dismissal times that you consider those families who have arranged work and family schedules to have their children cared Hi. I'm a junior at BHSN, and I can unequivocally say that my classmates and I want school to start later‐ we don't care how long we have to stay at school. I know nothing about your proposals, aside from the fact that there's one involving a start time later than 8:00AM. Please choose that proposal. We students are (literally) tired of our start time. We will endure anything‐ just let us have an easy nine hours of sleep, every night. In return, we'll give you higher grades, higher attendance, and better attitudes. I promise. And I'm not one to go back on my promises. Thanks 12/10/2015 for your time and consideration. I like 5a the best, but am not sure how feasible it is to eliminate so much instructional time. I would have chosen 5c for the late start time for high 12/10/2015 schoolers, but losing 174 instructional hours in elementary school seemed too much. Only the options which include starting secondary students after 8:00 (preferably later!) should even be discussed, or we have not really addressed the problem. I think that reducing instructional time dramatically for elementary kiddos is also important. I hear from a lot of parents that their 12/10/2015 primary aged kids just can't handle that long a day.

As a working parent of elementary age children,I believe that 5 or 5C would be the best option. Elementary age children, coming home to at an early hour would either mean working parents have to make other arrangements for care, or put the children into an after care situations that are woefully understaffed. We absolutely support secondary schools starting later‐ but absolutely DO NOT support plans where elementary age children are forced to be in either an extended care situation that is not set up for mass numbers of children, or working parents not having any other option but to pay for care because their work situations are not conducive to the school hours.A longer day for elementary age children, with breaks built in for recess or play time would be ideal with the start and end times currently in place. PLEASE PLEASE understand that two of the largest employers in Monroe County are not flexible for many parents whose children have start and end times that are not closer to work hours. This puts the age groups that 12/10/2015 need the care most into hands of programs or people that may not set them up for success. The school board obviously is not listening to teachers or students. The school day is way too long and the older kids need a later start time! Elementary kids are naturally up earlier than teenagers. Why fight nature and lose? Kids are not learning at the end of the day, so please make the 12/10/2015 day shorter. 12/10/2015 I want senerio 6 where elementary start @ 9:35 I believe ! Out of all this one seems to be best

My oldest son will start Kindergarten next year, and I have been an MCCSC employee for many years. I am looking at these scenarios through a number of lenses. First, as a mother, my children are 100% burnt out by the time we get home, and extracurricular activities are near impossible. I am also thinking ahead to their MS and HS years. With research supporting later start times for teens, I want to be cognizant of that with my choice. As an educator, I see my students overwhelmed, and they cannot process new information by the end of the day (even with wiggle breaks and extra recess). However, I do not want to lose too much instructional time in my classroom, or I will not be able to give adequate time to core instruction in all subject areas or appropriate intervention and enrichment time in math and ELA. From a budget standpoint, many of these options require more 12/10/2015 busses or additional routes resulting in unnecessary cost to the district. With all of this in mind, I support scenarios 5A and 5C.

I am most in favor of scenario 7 though am not clear why, in every proposal, the day ends before 4:30 pm? If there is a need to push schedules back, 12/10/2015 why not start and end later (extending the school day to 5 pm for example). I am not in favor of shortened elementary (or secondary) school days. I would love to see the new 10:35 schedule be effective in the idea of hours, I believe the kids would benefit more by starting at 8:35 still and ending 12/10/2015 at 1:50.. 5‐BSecondary will start laterElementary Day will be much more appropriate for the younger kidsUses 1 less buss than at the present time!Athletics can 12/10/2015 still take place with this time slot!Great option!!!! I truly believe that option 5B would be the best. While I was a student in MCCSC my whole life, I absolutely loved the time schedules we were on. From Elementary through High School, I felt as if we were in school for the appropriate amount of time. Just as I felt at my "tipping point", school ended. Now, as an educator, and a Head Coach at the high school level, I cannot begin to tell you the differences I see in myself, my students, and my athletes. Our days at school are long, and the last 30 minutes of our day is chaotic. The kids have lost interest and they are mentally exhausted and it shows in their behavior and work. I teach 6th grade and those are the kids in the building who should be able to handle the long day the best, and they struggle. My athletes are also putting in 12 hour days and longer with their school day and practice combined. I love the fact that 12/10/2015 the Elementary kids get out earlier than the high school kids with this option as well. I believe 5B is the best option. It would have been helpful to provide definitions of acronyms and more explanation with the powerpoint. I was unable to attend, and am new to this discussion so I do not understand all of the info in the PPT. I would like to see the Wednesday late start eliminated. Scenarios 4, 5, 5A and 6 looked 12/10/2015 best to me. 12/10/2015 I'm in favor of plan 5C. This seems to be the best compromise and least disruptive to kids and parent work schedules.

I feel like people's number one concern is start times and this doesn't seem to be reflected in the scenarios offered. The high school students need to start later without forcing the elementary students to then suffer the tiredness in place of them. I would propose elementary starting at 8:15 and secondary starting at 9:00. Shortening the school day seems counterproductive to me. Teachers are already stressed out trying to fit everything in. I feel like they would just cut out recess, cut down on lunch time, specials and study hall. Lots of working parents can stagger their schedules in order accommodate someone getting them on the bus at 8 and someone being home at 4. I doubt the same number could make that work if school ends at 2:30 or 3. In the scenarios with elementary kids starting earlier and getting out earlier we will have lots of overtired kids who 12/10/2015 had to get up early and then stay for after school. Making their days even longer and more unproductive.

I feel like people's number one concern is start times and this doesn't seem to be reflected in the scenarios offered. The high school students need to start later without forcing the elementary students to then suffer the tiredness in place of them. I would propose elementary starting at 8:15 and secondary starting at 9:00. Shortening the school day seems counterproductive to me. Teachers are already stressed out trying to fit everything in. I feel like they would just cut out recess, cut down on lunch time, specials and study hall. Lots of working parents can stagger their schedules in order accommodate someone getting them on the bus at 8 and someone being home at 4. I doubt the same number could make that work if school ends at 2:30 or 3. In the scenarios with elementary kids starting earlier and getting out earlier we will have lots of overtired kids who 12/10/2015 had to get up early and then stay for after school. Making their days even longer and more unproductive.

I think making the kids go later in the afternoon is a HORRIBLE idea. My kids (both in elementary) barely have time to do their honework, have a home cooked meal play their team sports, shower and get even close to enough sleep. I do think starting the school day a little later and ending a little earlier would be a great things as I feel like I never see them. I have read a few things that say schools with a later start and earlier end time have less tardies, absences and sickness! I am all for trying that. But the one option had kids in school tell 4:30 pm! I won't allow that! That isn't 12/10/2015 putting kids first! That is about putting more stress on our families! 12/10/2015 Go back to how it was in 2010. Although it was nice to see numerous possibilities on the table, only one actually meets the American Association of Pediatrics recommendation for secondary students ‐ Option 5C. Please select this one! I want to raise a generation of healthy teens who have a chance at becoming healthy adults. 12/10/2015 Thank you. 5C (secondary starts 8:45, elementary at 8:00am) is the only scenario that meets the AAP criteria of starting 8:30 am or later for secondary students. It also works for elementary students with a shorter school day. Having a consistent start time every day (eliminating Wednesday late start) is 12/10/2015 wonderful, especially for younger children.

I vote for 5A or 5C because both have later start times and offer more flexibility to those parents with children in both elementary and secondary 12/10/2015 schools. A start time before 8:00 for any of the schools is, in my opinion, detrimental to our children's emotional and mental well being.

Scenario 5B and 5C best meet the needs of our students.As a classroom teacher, I find hope in knowing that the student day may shorten. Thank you 12/10/2015 for your time and energy. I look forward to seeing the final decision and the positive impact it will have on my students. I believe scenario 5C makes the most sense. It doesn't reduce the secondary hours significantly, while still allowing the secondary schools to start at a healthy time, 8:45. 8:00 AM to 2:45 PM seems like a reasonable school day length and start/stop time for the elementary students. I would propose that the school day could end at 3:00 pm for elementary students and still allow enough time for the buses to transport the high school 12/10/2015 students. 12/10/2015 Start high school at 10am. Have athletic practices at 6am.

As the new guardian of a 16 hr old, a junior at South (we are new to this issue relative to a step‐son who finished South in 1991 with later start time), we're strongly in favor of a post 8:30 AM secondary school start time. Our teen‐age doesn't fit the stereotype of the late‐to‐bed adolescent 12/10/2015 that some project on this age group. 5C or 5C* (8:45; 8:50) would be great and a welcome change for her senior year. Thanks for listening!

The two most important issues are the length of school day for elementary students and the early start time for secondary students. Elementary students are emotionally spend after 3 p.m. Very little learning is done after that. The MCCSC went from one of the shortest school days to one of 12/10/2015 the longest, without any research to support it. The elementary day should not start before 8:20 a.m. and end by 3:00 p.m. I can't say that any option you offered is that great when the school day will only be shortened 20 minutes. I don't agree with the Herald Times saying the school day needs to stay close to the same length it is presently. If you shorten the day 45 minutes you could have elementary starting at 8:30, ending at 2:45. Then have high school start at 9:15 and end at 3:45. That's a six hour and fifteen minute day for elementary and a six hour and 30 minute day for the older kids. I do agree that high school kids need a later start time, but we can't expect to put the younger kids out on the streets waiting on buses or walking in the winter when it's just getting light. Let's be realistic here‐all kids need more sleep, but with your scenarios some elementary kids would be getting on buses as early as 7:00 am. That's not a good idea. Let's also be realistic about the present length of the school day. It's too long! Kids fall asleep at school. They arrive home extremely grumpy. Parents have been complaining about this for four years. And even though this is not on topic, I would like to add that the lack of recess in the elementary schools is horrendous! In two more years when my three year old grandson starts at his second grade sister's elementary school he will not be able to handle the lack of movement and the small amount of time outside. The school board needs to read about how exercise helps the brain, which in turn 12/10/2015 helps kids learn.

Absolutely love the Wednesday delay! Gives our family of 6 the opportunity to catch up on sleep & homework. Would hate to see that leave. Also very concerned about bus situation. Feel like the recommendations are not realistic. We have a huge need for bus drivers now, so how are scenarios requiring 15+ buses even a viable option??Prefer scenario: 1 ‐ agree with slightly shorter elementary day and keeping secondary instruction the sameLike scenario 3 ‐ think bus requirement is unrealistic thoughLike scenario 4Dislike options 5B, 6 ‐ way too much reduction in education time! Compared to the state we moved from, our children are very behind in education in Bloomington and losing more valuable instruction time would be horrible and require a lot more time at home with homework and many families may not be able to help their children.Option 7 is crazy! We have 4 children now at 4 different schools with dual working parents, how is someone with multiple children going to succeed in this schedule? (Children at 12/10/2015 Rogers, Binford, Tri‐North & BHSN) 12/10/2015 5C! I would love to see students and teachers have the evenings to spend with their families again! I would definitely like to see school for all ages start no earlier than 8am. This would make sleep schedules easier and would prevent student from 12/10/2015 having to wait for the bus in the dark.

The most important issues here are the length of school day and the start time for secondary students. Elementary students should not be in school past 3 p.m. After that they are emotionally spent, tired, cranky, and not in a mode to learn. We should study the Finnish school system where they believe "less is more." They go to school five hours a day, have physical activity (by law) every hour, and their test scores exceed those of every nation in the world. A six hour day for elementary school children is more in keeping with research of time on task. After that it is a law of diminishing returns. A 9:00‐‐3:00 day would be ideal. Secondary students need more sleep so a start time of 8:20 to 3:45 would help them. Their day could also be shortened. A few years ago they went from 8:00 to 2:30. I do not feel any of the five proposed options really address the issues. I 12/10/2015 ask that you take a look at what I am suggesting. Thank you for your consideration. 12/10/2015 5B and 5C look like excellent choices My child is in the ALPS program and starting an hour later would put her arriving home around 5pm. We live on the south side of Bloomington. This feels really late in the day to be getting home and with lots of homework feels nearly impossible. We feel the earlier start time is more favorable and 12/10/2015 one of the reasons she was able to do ALPS. Please reconsider your decision and take into consideration the ALPS kids that ride the bus.

Definitely Elementary students arrive/leave earlier and secondary students arrive/leave later. Our K is exhausted by 3:50 and awake at 7 anyway. When I was in High School, we started at 8:05, and I was tired then! Young kids go to bed/eat dinner earlier and have less homework. Older students 12/10/2015 have more homework, more extracurricular activities and go to bed/eat dinner later. Makes total sense to swap it. In fan of the 5C*, 5C or 5C#.

I must begin by saying that I appreciate this issue being seriously considered. After looking at the scenarios, I feel that 5C and 5B seem like the better suited options. (The start and ending times seem more ideal to me as a parent.) My greatest desire is in addition to the day being considerably shorter, is that the elementary day end much earlier than it does now. (Ideally before 3pm.) This helps with activities and school work, while still allowing for an earlier bedtime, etc. I do think the secondary day ending at an appropriate time is also important for similar reasons. While the longer school day did allow for more instructional time, I feel that it had several negative effects on students, especially younger ones learning to adjust to the full day. I believe that a shorter, structured day would give kids ample time for learning, while also preventing them from exhaustion. I feel that kids that are 12/10/2015 worn out at school are more likely to "check out" of learning and even possibly create more behavior problems.

I feel that teachers should not have to lose the valuable PLC time DURING the school day that has been provided since the last referendum. Providing child care is not the issue! Asking teachers to give more time outside of the school day is going to raise the stress levels and reduce the already low morale of many teachers. Do we ask other professions to do this? As a retired kindergarten teacher (May, 2015), I feel that the elementary school day is much too long and needs to be reduced. In looking at other school districts' schedules, the MCCSC elementary schedule is the longest. The present schedule is not developmentally appropriate for young children. More and more hours at school is counter productive and increases more discipline and behavior issues. PLEASE do not eliminate the Wed. morning PLC time for teachers and decrease the elementary day. It appears that many other notable high schools have not changed their schedule to a later start time. Asking young children to wait for buses at 7:30 is not the 12/11/2015 answer, either. Please think of ALL the children (and teachers) of MCCSC ‐ not just the high school concerns. I think the idea of switching elementary and secondary start times makes a lot of sense. It would be great to help teachers of secondary students who 12/11/2015 have little ones in elementary school have priority for at‐school aftercare.

I would like to see the high school and middle schools start later. By the time some of my students get to me, they have been on the bus for over an hour, up for 2 hours. They are tired and fall asleep. It is a waste of instructional time and all studies show that teenagers aren't meant to start 12/11/2015 learning at 7:40 in the morning. I would much rather have my students here at 8:30 or 9:00 and stay later. I am an elementary school teacher out in the county. Many of my students do not get off the bus until almost 5:00pm. I am for ANY of the options that have young ones leaving school by 3:35 or so. My primary aged students CAN NOT maintain until our 4pm bus dismissal. Please do what is in the 12/11/2015 best interest of these little ones and shorten their day on the afternoon end. As a parent of a future student and an employee, I love the elementary earlier start times. Younger children are finding it difficult to get through the 12/11/2015 longer days, and since they typically wake up earlier it makes sense. Science has shown that older kids do better with later start times as well. I like 5C* more than others. It is only natural to let the teenagers sleep a little more. Younger kids wake up earlier anyway. In the afternoon younger 12/11/2015 kids will have a little more time for playing as well which is nice. Original 5C is also OK.

Having read the newest variations to 5C, I think that any of those should be considered. I believe input from the community may provide the right 12/11/2015 balance btwn the late end of day and concerns about young kiddos out early for the bus. But seriously, MCCSC, this is all I want for Christmas this year.

I have two boys in high school, and would very much like the day to begin at 8:30 or later. Right now they have to catch the bus around 6:40 in the morning, which makes a very early beginning to the day. I don't have a strong opinion as to the ending time as long as they don't lose too 12/11/2015 much instructional time. Both are very tired, and one in particular has trouble focusing. An increase in sleep would be helpful. Thank you.

I have 4 kids in MCCSC schools. Next year, two will be in elementary and two will be in secondary. Thank you for looking seriously at this issue and coming up with options. The most palatable choice overall is option 5c. It reduces the elementary day which is my main concern. It is also the only option that addresses the later start for secondary.As another option, you could move both start times between 15 and 45 minutes later to address some people's concerns about the mid afternoon release of elementary and also give the older kids more sleep.It would look something like 12/11/2015 this:Elementary 8:15‐3Secondary 9‐4:05Or Elementary 8:30‐3:15Secondary 9:15‐4:20Or Elementary 8:45‐3:30Secondary 9:30‐4:35

Thank you for your efforts. I have one child entering 7th next year, and 2 younger in elementary school. Here are my following comments:‐option 5A is favorable‐‐Secondary:There is a mental hurdle when considering a start time before 8:00, so an 8:00 start time seems ideal. It is also nice to have the older kids out earlier than Elementary since working parents won't have to worry about too much aftercare or being home to get them off of the bus. ‐‐Elementary: The 8:35/8:40 start time has worked fine for my kids, but getting off of the bus at 4:00/4:30 for some is a long day, so the earlier 12/11/2015 dismissal of 3:30 is better. Thanks for your consideration...

Well i think that is really a silky idea to have the younger kids going to school first and getting out first... Most of them aren't old enough or 12/11/2015 responsible enough to be at home by themselves. I work at the high school so no that wouldn't be convenient for me!!! I am not in favor of any scenario that starts school earlier in the morning. This goes for all schools (Elementary, Middle School and High School). The school day starts early enough as is. I am in favor of eliminating the late start on Wednesday as I have seen no benefit to the students. From the 12/11/2015 scenarios listed, I tend to prefer (in order of preference): 5A, 5, 4. 12/11/2015 I advocate for scenario 5B 12/11/2015 Thank you for revisiting this issue. I have a child in secondary school. My preferred scenario would be 5C. 12/11/2015 I have in MCCSC.I support option 5C specifically the original 5C option. 12/11/2015 I am very interested in option 5c! Thanks for taking a look at this! 12/11/2015 I think 5 c with an 8:45 start time for secondary is the best option. It allows students to get the sleep they need.

High school students need to begin school as it is now. Most schools in the state begin early. High school students need to have jobs and participate in extracurricular activities. No employer will hire a student who can't be there until 4:30 in the afternoon. Athletic teams need to be practicing right after school no later than 3:00 pm. Also during the school week, athletic teams need to be at the host's location at a reasonable hour. If we get out later each day, athletes will continue to leave even earlier from school just to get to the athletic site. As a parent of two former MCCSC students who were also athletes, if they knew they didn't have to be at school until 8:30 pm, they would have stayed up even later in the evening. Let's be real‐‐do not change the start time of school. We don't have enough buses to accommodate any significant changes and students need the opportunity to have jobs and participate in extracurricular activities. High school is preparation for the real world‐‐early start times 12/11/2015 are part of that. Not too many employers begin their work days after 8:00 am.

I really like the option where elementary school begins at 8:05. It looks like it will be manageable for all parties I think teachers would continue to 12/11/2015 benifit from anlatevstart on Wednesday, which would still work well. I'm glad you are considering this discussion!

As a parent and as an educator, I have not seen from research nor experience that a longer school day produces significant (if any) academic improvement. Instead, I have observed formerly high‐achieving secondary students sleep deprived in the too‐early start to our MCCSC school day 12/11/2015 these last few years. Longer is not better; therefore, I would support a shorter day overall with a later start for secondary students. Thank you for taking this time to evaluate the length of the school day. I prefer one of the 5c variations which has a later start time for middle schoolers and high schoolers and a shorter school day for elementary schoolers. I currently have a 4th grader and a 6th grader. My 6th grader was lucky enough to be in a self‐contained half day kindergarten (the last year it was offered) and the shorter 9 am ‐3:15 pm school day in first grade. My 4th grader was only exposed to the longer school day from the beginning. In preschool (he attended a half day program) my younger son was reading, and throughly enjoyed school. Since beginning kindergarten with MCCSC's longer school day, he has lost his love of school and reading. My husband and I fight him every day to read for his 20 minutes. On the other hand my older son learned to read halfway through kindergarten and in 2nd grade his love for reading grew to read at least an hour or so every evening for pleasure which continues today. Along with the lack of reading from my youngest he came home more days than I can count in kindergarten and 1st grade, crying from stress, from being overwhelmed, and from lack of movement! I believe that the shorter hours at the primary level are VITAL to appropriate development.I am concerned from the format of the pdf that the framework is focused solely on the lost hours (currently in bold red letters with a minus sign) and the bus impactions. I feel less hours in the class is what is appropriate for elementary aged children. Quantity does not equal quality!!! As a director of a local preschool who is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. According to this organization early childhood is from birth to age 8. Their practices should be considered for children all the way to 3rd grade! That is half of our elementary school's population!As we end elementary school life and enter the world of middle school and high school, I am hopeful that the school board will follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Assocation on start times for teenagers. https://www.aap.org/en‐us/about‐the‐aap/aap‐press‐ room/pages/let‐them‐sleep‐aap‐recommends‐delaying‐start‐times‐of‐middle‐and‐high‐schools‐to‐combat‐teen‐sleep‐deprivation.aspx and 12/11/2015 https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/school‐start‐times.pdf I prefer scenario #1. No change to the secondary school day, but shorter elementary school day. Whether the middle and high school kids start earlier or later, they are going to get the same amount of sleep. Because my teenagers are in after school sports, I would prefer not to extend their day. I am already picking them up extremely late when they come back from games/meets. The elementary schools do not use their extra time for constructive teaching, but rather, let the kids do free reading or extra recess. It is difficult for them to participate in after school activities and get their homework 12/11/2015 done with such a long school day. 12/11/2015 No need to change it too much. It's obviously working the way it is. I like 5A best. Accomplishes my big priorities: more sleep for my middle schooler, time for sports after school while still allowing hope for dinner 12/11/2015 together, and less time overall for my 1st grader. Of the different proposals presented, I guess that 5C is the most appropriate. It allows for a later start time for the older students and a much shorter school day for the younger students. It would be nice if school times could be up for a reevaluation after 2 yrs to see if it is having the desired 12/11/2015 benefits. I say leave it alone. If they start later, kids will just stay up later and it will defeat the purpose. Colleges have early classes so they may as well be used to it. Also, the older kids need to get home first for younger siblings or at the same time. I am, however, all for getting rid of the late Wednesday and using that adjustment to help. The teachers could come in an hour earlier or stay an hour later, but it shouldn't affect the parents and their work 12/11/2015 schedules. I think all students would benefit from the 5C$ proposed time to start/end. Elementary students are ready to be at school and excited to get to school. They are hard workers and ready to learn at an earlier time of the day. They are worn out by 3:00pm. Junior High/High School students are developmentally needing to sleep later in the morning and become more focused at a little later than elementary students. My own teenager says he tends to fall asleep in his first period class at BHSS. A later start time would be beneficial to the older students of our corporation, which might have a 12/11/2015 greater impact learning.

The elementary school day needs to end by 3:00. Any later, and we lose the kids. The day, as it is now, is way too long. The kids are no smarter than before we lengthened the day. In fact, they are showing less what they can do than the kids who had the shorter day. They come in tired, they leave tired, and they are losing or have lost their love for school. My own kids, who are in middle school and high school are constantly exhausted and don't pursue learning opportunities they are interested in outside school because the day is so long and so much of their short evening is spent 12/11/2015 doing homework. You never should've added the time you added to our school day.

5C please!!!This option starts the higher grades at a much more appropriate time in the morning and shortens the day just enoughfor the elementary 12/11/2015 kiddos. If 5C passes, we would definitely consider coming back to MCCSC!(Our children will be in grades 9, 6, and 3 next school year.)

I support a scenario that both starts the secondary students later than current and shortens the school day for elementary students. Actually, the 2010‐2011 schedule looked like the best of both worlds. Of the scenarios listed, I think options 5A and 5B are the best choices. Older kids need a later start time and little kids need more time for free play. Even kids at daycare or aftercare are enjoying unstructured time vs structured school. Please 12/11/2015 make these changes to improve the mental and emotional health of the kids in MCCSC schools and their parents. 12/11/2015 It appears to me that there is only ONE choice in which The American Academy of Pediatric was considered. 12/11/2015 5C works best for both elementary and secondary! I will totally support third option!!!None of the others make any sense!!!

Please go with 5c. It is the only one that really addresses all of the concerns: moving elementary earlier, shortening their day, moving secondary later, and eliminating the need for the late start day. Addionally, it does not add a greater bus burden.The only other one that accomplishes most of those 12/11/2015 goals without adding a greater bus burden is 5b. I would find that acceptable as well, but it doesn't push back secondary as much as it should. I have a high school student and a middle school student, and think in principle that it would be nice if MS and HS started at 8 am or a bit after. I don't have any strong opinions about the specific scenarios, and for my family it is not particularly necessary. My kids are swimmers, and are up much earlier than most kids, so they go to bed and sleep at a reasonable time.1. If the switch is made, I would like it to be based on research demonstrating that HS students in schools with the later start actually do sleep more hours.2. If the switch is made, I would like to see research done in MCCSC demonstrating the benefit of the switch (assuming that the switch does cost money or remove instructional time). Benefit could be broadly construed, but should be demonstrated.3. Please provide ample notice (meaning months not weeks) of any schedule change, since many parents (especially but not only single parents) have carefully constructed work schedules that you are about to disrupt again.4. I don't know how many elementary school kids wait for the bus by themselves, but it would make me nervous to have small kids waiting in the pitch dark of early winter mornings for a 6:40 am bus (like my MS and HS children catch).5. The longer school day has disadvantages, but a HUGE advantage in MS and HS is that there is a built in study hall/extra help time for everyone. PantherPlus (my child goes to South) has been absolutely critical in my child's success. 12/11/2015 Whatever happens to the schedule, please do not get rid of this part of the school day.

12/11/2015 Current elem school day is 8:35‐3:50 which = 7hr 45 min...right? Most k‐3 students are REALLY done (mentally) between 2:30‐3:00 now

Any of the 5C options make the most sense. As a 2nd grade teacher I can attest to the fact that students are checked out after 3:00... No matter how engaging you are making the lesson. Another concern we've all experienced the past several years with the late day (3:50) is the amount of students and teachers who miss part of the day because it is so difficult to get appointments after 4:00. Many teachers have to take a half or whole 12/11/2015 day off because they can't schedule late appointments. Please cut the length of day by 30 minutes. It would be a perfect compromise.

Please, please, please give our older kids a break and choose one of the 5C variations! Elementary kids go to sleep earlier, so they naturally are easier 12/11/2015 to rouse in the mornings. Plus, more parents would likely be able to get their little ones onto buses if those times were earlier. I think a later start time for middle & high school is warranted. My kids are exhausted after going to school all day, extracurricular activities & then homework afterwards. Somewhere in there we fit dinner, but lots of times its really late. They are A students in ALPS and expect to continue at that level, but they get very stressed when they're exhausted! Lot's of times going to bed at 11:00 or later. Right now 12/11/2015 Wednesday are their best days because of the later start time! I support the 5B or 5C schedule. The current elementary schedule is too long and runs too late in the afternoon for our younger students. Just try teaching reading or anything to first graders at 3:30! They learn best in the morning and this proposal allows secondary students to have the later 12/11/2015 start supported by research. I feel the 5c or 5c* would be the best options. I have 3 children currently in school (elementary and high school). I have had many other foster and bio children in MCCSC. I also work with children with mental health issues. I feel the later start times would help secondary students regulate sleep and ease stress. My children do extra curricular activities, work, and have been in honors classes. They have to nap almost daily before they can get to 12/11/2015 their activities because of lack of sleep in the AM. I feel they would be more likely to learn and pay attention in classes with a later start time. I am going 5c because it is the only one with the later start for the older kids. I would like to see discussions about the length of lunches, recesses and appropriate exercise at all levels. I'm also, desperately, awaiting support for Fairview regarding ISTEP and the pressures our students and 12/11/2015 staff/faculty face.

My daughter is a high school junior in the MCCSC. She is an excellent student who has always gotten good grades, takes challenging courses, and participates in a variety of extra‐curriculars. Our schools in Bloomington have served her well ... so what's wrong? She is perpetually tired and as a result, especially now that she is a junior and has her toughest classes to date, her grades are dropping due to fatigue.Let me take you through a typical day ‐‐ because she is perpetually exhausted, she cannot wake up to a normal alarm (which has to be set for 6:15 AM or earlier). We have purchased extra loud alarms as well as vibrating accessories to place throughout her room. She still doesn't wake up half the time until a parent goes into her room to physically rouse her. She stumbles out of bed, usually too late to shower. She never has time for a nutritious breakfast. In fact, at this hour, she has no appetite for breakfast anyway. So at 16 years old, my daughter has only coffee for breakfast ‐‐ a horrible way to feed a growing body and mind.Many days she is late for first period, so she has gotten detention and Saturday School. This is a straight‐A honors/AP student who works as hard as anyone! Her grade in her first period class last term was her lowest grade ever recorded. She cannot concentrate or learn at that hour.When she gets home from school, she is drained. Most days, she has to take a nap after school before she has the energy or mental concentration to start homework. On the days when she has after‐school practice, she wakes up for practice. Other days, she often has to nap until dinner. Because she gets such a late start on homework, she has to work past midnight to finish. Then the vicious cycle starts again the next morning.It is painful for me as a parent to watch this continue. I know if is affecting her grades, and therefore her future opportunities. Please come up with a 12/12/2015 solution that will preserve the well‐bring and performance of our community's secondary students.

Listen! That is my advice regarding this process. I think it is important to listen to the community and the research regarding the school day start times and length. There only seems to be one option that truly addresses all ages. Saturday's paper has more options which is good. If you want folks to listen regarding the referendum, then you need to start listening to parents and teachers now. I would be curious to know the increase in behavior/discipline issues since the institution of the longer day. My observations are that it has increased. Tired and less engaged kids is not just an 12/12/2015 issue for teachers and administrators. Thanks for all the hard work on this process. I know the variables are many, but so are the options. Why don't you consider using the current Wednesday late start schedule as the schedule for every day of the week? 8:25am ‐ 2:55pm for middle 12/12/2015 & high and 9:35am ‐ 3:50pm for elementary is a very reasonable set of times. 12/12/2015 5C is the best. Younger kids are ready to go earlier, and they can be gone before older siblings. I like 5B‐‐shorter day for elementary kids with more recess time so children can actually focus on learning. There would be fewer discipline problems 12/12/2015 as well. Young children are spending too much time at school & are exhausted with this long school day!

5C$ has my vote. If the American Pediatric Association recommends a later start date for MS & HS children, who am I to disagree? They are the professionals ‐ I simply want the best learning environment for my child. Out of the different 5C sceneries, I chose 5C$ because my child would arrive home at a decent hour from school. It is important to me that I have time to parent my child at some point during the day. If they leave early, come home late, then go to after school activities in the evening, I have little time to actually parent. But 5C$ provides some time to instruct, guide, and be 12/12/2015 with my child after school while still adhering to the recommendations of the American Pediatric Association. Very few of the proposals actually move the secondary school day to a later start time. In my personal and professional (I am a university education professor) opinion, that should be the first priority. If you are not planning to look at important research about the teen body and brain, then why 12/12/2015 bother.

A concern at the work session was a loss of instructional time if we shorten the day. As an elementary teacher, not that you value my opinion, I will offer the notion that after working in a longer school day versus a shorter school day, the loss of instructional time is not an issue. After 3 p.m., most kids I am just trying to keep going without breaking down, falling apart, or falling asleep. A longer day does not necessarily equate to more instructional time or higher quality learning. My students liked school more during a shorter day. They say things to me now like, "I would like school if our day wasn't so long." I never thought I would get used to kids having multiple breakdowns a day, but that is my reality. Kids are humans, not robots. They are not machines that can just constantly be refilled without processing. What are we doing to our kids? What are we hoping for? When we lengthened our day, I remember one of the arguments was to keep kids in poverty out of their homes and in a safe school for more of their day. This doesn't make sense. They still go home. They are just tireder, more stressed, and more emotionally strained than they already were. I worry that if we shorten our day, principals will question us even more about how we are using our time instructionally. All of the teachers at our school are already extremely stressed. Daily, I hear my colleagues say they don't know how much longer they can do this job. So, this isn't just about shortening our day or the loss of instructional time, this is about looking at the entire well being of our district ‐ the kids, the teachers, the administrators. We are all working are tails off, less happy than ever, more stressed than ever, less creative than ever, and without a real focus on doing what we know is best for kids and our community. Statements surrounding the health of our district cam up during discussions of the calendar. They will come up now, as well, because they are relevant and significant. We are giving credence to a system created by the state. When are we going to stand up and redefine ourselves around doing what is best for kids. When are we going to listen to our teachers and administrators who put their hearts into their career and the children they serve? So, yes, as a district we should spearheading the effort to shorten the day to six hours for elementary school and pushing back the start for high school, as well as being clear in what we are doing to positively support our students, 12/12/2015 our teachers, our administrators, our community. I really like the shorter school day option for elementary with a slightly earlier start (8:00‐2:50). This scenario allows the secondary students to start later, which is what is recommended by research. Elementary students are completely exhausted by 2:30 everyday and I have 5th/6th graders. I cannot even imagine what Kindergarten and 1st grade students feel like. Another feature that I like is that with elementary students getting out earlier it gives elementary teachers a chance to coach or lead high school after school teams and activities. It is very difficult with the current schedule to allow anyone (even those who are not teachers) to make a high school practice or rehearsal if they are a coach or teacher of that activity. Finally, the buses for high school extra curricular never leave until 4:30 anyways. This has high school kids waiting around (possibly doing things they 12/12/2015 shouldn't be doing) from 2:50‐4:30. With an end time closer to their bus departure, this makes logical sense. I prefer all of the 5C options to the others because I think starting secondary schools after primary schools best matches the children's sleep 12/12/2015 cycles. Within 5C, I prefer as late a start as possible for secondary students. Our family is in favor of 5A. The school day is way too long. It is counterproductive and it really causes fatigue and problems with family activities after school. Schools need to understand that children are still learning many valuable lessons outside of school. They are learning to be innovative and creative through play. They are learning about being good sports and being part of teams through after school activities. Remember, we want balanced children who have time for rest and relaxation. My children spend way too much time in an institutional setting. It makes me very sad for 12/12/2015 them. 12/12/2015 5C* 5C and 5C* are both good plans. The other new variants on 5C, 5C$ and 5C@, move in the wrong direction. (It's still baffling that the original 12/12/2015 options included only one scenario of this type, but I'm encouraged to see the Board responding to public input.) We would love to see middle and high school starting later, after elementary. Even switching the times around would work better in terms of the biorhythms of the students at those respective ages. My oldest, in high School, needs more sleep than he gets at this age, even with a bed time of 9 12/12/2015 :30 pm. I would like the schedule to go back to the original 5c schedule. The school day is way too long for most kids. It interferes with extra curricular 12/12/2015 activities and rules out play dates after school.

I think option 5c is the best for teachers, parents, and students. The long day has proven to be too stressful for everyone. As a teacher, I had heard many parents tell me that adding to the end of the day has had the most negative impact on their families. I have felt that as well. Teachers already spend a lot of extra time after school trying to get everything done that we are asked to do, and even that is not enough with the work load and expections we have placed on us. If we could start and end our teaching day earlier, it would enable us to have more balance in our lives. We could have time to get to doctors appointments and make time to exercise at a reasonable hour after working at school and attending meetings. As it is 12/12/2015 now, we are all having a hard time trying to do these things while having a rewarding teaching career. I am in favor of the "5C" plan. The older kids get a much better time frame for the day that makes sense for them. The younger kids are up early anyway naturally, so the earlier start time for them plus a shorter day at their ages makes the most sense for them too. I am in favor of eliminating the Wed. late start time. This throws a wrench in things in so many ways that it isn't worthy of keeping. My only concern is the darkness at certain times of the year for the younger students catching the bus. But at those ages parents tend to be waiting with them at the bus 12/12/2015 stop anyway. I think overall everyone will be much happier with this plan. & I'm still loving the new calendar!!! Only Schedule 5C and it's variations make any sense. The primary goal should be a later start time for secondary schools and this is the only proposal that does that. I teach at BHSN and have a child who will be entering 7th grade next year. Teenagers simply cannot learn effectively early in 12/12/2015 the morning. 5B appears most ideal. I am a parent and teacher. It allows for prep time to built in at the end of day and for PLC and staff meetings to occur at the end of the day without impeding late into the evening. Consider that school employees have small children in daycare which has very limited hours typically not being open later than 5:00. Additionally for school age children and working parents, there are many more options that are economically 12/12/2015 available afterschool than before school. Neither elementary or secondary grades should start any earlier than they currently do. Options that start earlier are harder on any family and all children. Also, the likelihood of needing 2 hour delays will increase as it will be darker, colder, and foggier if the day is earlier. there are more buses needed for the elementary schools which only anticipates more weather issues, delays, and potential hazards. The elementary school youth should 12/12/2015 not be in school more than 6 hours. 12/12/2015 5bWe especially like this plan because it allows for buses to be available for sporting groups in secondary level THANK YOU SO MUCH for adding additional variations. So appreciate the effort that is going into this. How about pushing it a little further to 8:15 12/12/2015 elementary and 9 highschool? That would be awesome! 12/12/2015 5c the original, seems to address the most important aspects addressed in the presentation.

Scenario 5C* looks best to me. The 8:05 elementary start time minimizes the number of days young children will have to wait for the bus in the dark, 12/12/2015 8:50 secondary start time follows medical guidelines about start times for adolescents, and it should be fairly convenient for working parents. 5C* is the better option, primarily because it is the latest option. Both my kids (in high school) have suffered from anxiety, to the point that they need therapy. I feel that if they could sleep a bit later, they would be in better shape. In the summer and over breaks, they suffer from considerably less 12/12/2015 anxiety. I am a student attending an MCCSC secondary school. I beleive 5c$ would be the best option for all students. The change of the school start time provides less time for extra curricular activities. 5c$ gives students the most amount of time after school for students to participate in ECs. According to Forbes.com, the most important factor for college admissions is your activities after school hours, "the most important thing you can do is show that you are being thoughtful about what you do with your time. An extracurricular shouldn't be a check in the box, but a genuine interest." Give the students an oppurtunity to have a more time having fun with their curiosity and in the long run MCCSC could see a jump in 12/12/2015 students attending college. 5C needs to shave off more length of the school day! Look at real ISTEP passing rates for the last 5 years ‐ no gain, slight loss since abandoning the old school day.5C is the best scenario, however, the school day is still too long in this option for both elementary and secondary. The options need to shave off at least 10 more minutes per day in both elementary and secondary.The 2010 old schedule was not offered as a scenario, however ISTEP passing rates were slightly better before the calendar changed and the length of the school day changed.The longer school day has NOT resulted in more educated MCCSC children. Some like to spin the data to reflect higher learning.ISTEP passing rates have slightly DECREASED in the most recent 5 years (according to data presented by a parent at the recent calendar town hall meetings).PLC model encourages skill & drill with essential learnings taught out of context ‐ teach for the assessment! Students are forced to learn skills quickly to pass assessments. There is no depth ‐ all surface learning with PLC. Knowledge is not retained for long. PLC seemed to drive the calendar and length of school day in recent years. Get rid of PLC and shorten the school day! The art of teaching is lost with PLCDon't end the secondary day at 3:50 ‐ that's too late! 8:45‐ 12/12/2015 3:30Elementary 8:15‐2:45 5A is the best option. Small children have no business being in school until 4:00 (by the time buses load.). And they have no business getting home off 12/12/2015 the bus at 5pm. Little ones fall asleep before eating dinner. 12/12/2015 The later start time for high school: 5C** is most preferred.

None of the scenarios agree with me. It is changing to make younger children go earlier. The old schedule before all the changes was appropriate. The time added was put in ssr/study hall for junior high and high school. The time for elementary was added to music, art, and physical education. Sometimes the children are out of the regular classroom for most of the entire afternoon. I know of some children who dont keep up with outside activities because it is too much with homework and the long hours. It leaves very little time for family. My child attends a private school for this reason. Many parents feel the same way. Pushing school down the children's throats is going to do nothing but burn them out. If you review 12/12/2015 some of the top schools and scores, they do not have the long hours our children endure.

I have no problem with our current school day. Both of my kids have been in the mccsc system their whole careers. One is in 7th now and the other in 4th. I think we need to make sure to insert enough lunch and play time during the day is scheduled to insure the kids get some social and physical play in; however, I think that the length of day is fine. One note is when my first was in kindergarten, I did pay for them to go full time. I think there were about 5 kids out of 5 classes that did half day. No one was using the half day option. All the parents were sending their kids full day. It seems to me that a few, extremely privileged parents, are driving this change and not sure that this represents the opinion of the majority. I hope that mccsc is 12/12/2015 diligent in making sure they get a wide array of opinions in the matter! 12/12/2015 I thought 5A was a reasonable Compromise for all. If secondary teachers will be working longer school days, how will their salary reflect that?If the corporation eliminates the Wednesday morning PLC time, how does MCCSC expect to maintain its model PLC status?If the corporation eliminates the Wednesday morning PLC time, what message does it send to the teachers about being PLC corporation?What if the corporation tried a more modest change in schedule, start high school at 8 and maintain the 2:55 ending? Research shows that more seat time does not equal more learning or academic success. Why does MCCSC have the longest school day in the area?It is also worth nothing that high school students will not necessarily get more sleep simply because the school day will start 12/12/2015 later. High school students are also tired because of the lengthy school day. Maybe that would be a better focus than the start time. I think having multiple breaks and possibly a longer lunch would help break up the monotony of a long school day. I personally don't mind the length of the school day because it works with our work schedules. If it were shorter or started later we'd have to make arrangements for 12/12/2015 alternate care. 12/12/2015 I favor scenario 5c. Secondary classes should start after 8:30 am. Thank you for your consideration. 12/13/2015 5 C all the way! Please stop this madness! 12/13/2015 I prefer 8:50‐3:55 school day for secondary I am so glad the schedule is being looked at. I have heard from many who have exhausted kids because Of the long school day. Option 5c seems best 12/13/2015 as it gives the secondary schools a later start and shortens the elementary day.

My preference is for the latest start time possible for secondary school, so I like the 8:45 or 8:50 start time shown as 5C or 5C. I would also prefer that 12/13/2015 the late Wed. start be eliminated. If there must be a shortened day on Wed, please end early rather than starting late. I am for either 5, 5A or 5B. Starting middle and high school close to 9 am is not necessary. I don't think they should be starting any later than 8:15. I understand teenagers need more sleep but with the longer days I see no reason why they are bombarded with so much homework. Those teachers should be able to cover it in class. Teenagers do not need to be doing homework for 2‐5 hours nightly. If that is the case then the school, 12/13/2015 teachers, administrators are not doing their job. Busy work is not teaching. 5AThings to consider: teacher prep time, teacher and staff meetings, schedules for sports/extra curricular, lack of before school care, teachers with children that are not in the school system (daycare), and shorter day in school all youth in al grade levels. Also school teachers are required to be in 12/13/2015 rooms 15 minute prior to start bell.

5C$ creates the least disruption for after‐school activities for high school and middle school students, who often need to travel 1.5‐2 hours for away events. It also allows for a little more time for after‐school work. 5C* may have some of its benefits negated if extra‐curricular activities which had previously been after‐school need to shift to before‐school. I am also seriously concerned about after‐school care for elementary aged children. Parents who currently rely on older siblings will now be forced to rely on paid after‐school care or will be having young children home alone. And what about the late‐start Wednesdays? Teachers appreciate the collaboration time, especially with the extended school day. Aren't there other solutions? What about individual school start times, staggered to accommodate bus schedules, which would allow buses to transport elementary, 12/13/2015 middle, and high school students together (this is done in Owen County)? It would take some creative scheduling, but could be accomplished. 12/13/2015 5C* makes the most sense to me.Thank you 12/13/2015 Plan 5C with middle/high school start time > 8:30 is best

As a first grade teacher in MCCSC I know that the school day is too long and needs to be shortened. The day we had before the change (9‐3:15) was perfect. No learning happens after 2:30 with our day starting at 8:35. (Which in reality is 8:20 because kids start coming into the room at 8:20 and get started right away.) If secondary changes to an 8:15 start time, that is a lot later than they start now and is close to the 8:30 start time. Elementary could start at 9:00 and PLC could occur before or after school. Secondary would end at 2:45 and still have enough time for extracurricular activities, homework, jobs, dinner, and family time. Otherwise they will end up staying up late and still not getting enough sleep. Whatever the decision is, the day needs to be shortened by more than just 15 minutes. That will be little help, if any. We have seen more behavior problems with the longer day and parents tell us constantly how their children melt down as soon as they get home. Children need time to play outside, be kids, and spend time with their families. Every minute at school has to be accounted for and the students are expected to be "on." Brain breaks do not equate to needed free time after school. If we shorten the day subs will be able to work 5 days a week and this will help our sub problem. I prefer the 8:40‐ 2:45 day for elementary but this makes secondary get out way too late for everything they have to accomplish after school. The next issue we need to look at is the number of assessments we are giving to our students. We spend way too much time, which should be instructional time, assessing students. The number of pre and post assessments for every EL is ridiculous and not good practice. We now spend more time assessing than teaching, it's a miracle they are growing at all! Our teaching has become worse as we teach to these tests, rush through to cover the EL's for the quarter, and decide what we teach based on the report card instead of what our students need. Please let this be our next conversation so we 12/13/2015 can make positive changes in this area for our students. What we are doing to them is horrible.

The 5 C options with no one starting before 8 a.m. Seem to be the best option for the kids‐‐and that is what is most important. Beyond test scores, what data will be gathered and used to determine the impact of changing the start time? I'd like to see the data for the years since 12/13/2015 implementing PLC and the lengthier day. Thank you for addressing the issue of not having many options that had secondary starting after eight a.m. I do not think the schedule should be flip‐flopped for a couple of reasons. First, a majority of high school students do not want to start later. I asked my student athletes and none of them wanted to start later. They also admitted to me that if we flip‐flopped the schedule that they would just go to bed later, therefore they would still have the same amount of sleep as they would with this schedule. Extra curricular activities already go late enough, but by pushing everything back an hour later we would be keeping students too long. On another note, by flip flopping the schedule it could really hurt Hoosier Hills Career Center. Currently BHSS, BHSN, Martinsville and Edgewood come in the morning and Owen Valley, BHSN, Eastern Greene, BGS, and the Academy come in the afternoon. By flip‐flopping the schedule we would lose a great deal of instructional time in the morning and afternoon with our sending schools. We would have to change up what schools came when. Our morning would consist of all schools outside of MCCSC and then the MCCSC schools would come in the afternoon. That is only if they all agree to a schedule change as well. This would be the only way we would be able to fit in the amount of instructional time needed to for the classes. If we change the schedule and schools do not agree to change with us then there would be a significant drop in funding brought to MCCSC through CTE state funding. We provide a decent amount of money towards the general fund and if our student numbers drop from a schedule change then the funding drops as well. I think high school needs to 12/14/2015 stay as the earlier start time. The best schedule I saw listed had high school going 7:35‐2:35. Thank you for considering moving the start time for middle schools. My preferences for new start times are scenarios 5A, 5B, 5 and 6 (in that order). I 12/14/2015 also appreciate the possibility of offering childcare during PLC. It is of my concern that you, the MCCSC, do not move the start time for secondary schools any further that what it already is. As a member a Football team the time at which the practice ends is at the earliest 5:45, which is not until the later half of the season, it is because of the end time that I don't start my homework until 7:00 at the earliest. I think that your late start would totally screw with every student who does any kind of extra 12/14/2015 curricular activities. I have already commented about the initial proposals. I have reviewed the additional proposals for 5C. In each of these we have young children who do not pay attention to what is happening around them waiting for the bus in the dark. That is the one thing that I have heard both school board members and administration worry about. While I have a responsible child, not all children are always responsible and I fear with the elementary school children coming to school in the dark, we could have a very tragic situation on our hands. I would say nothing before 8:15 am for them.I am also concerned about elementary age children being out of school prior to the secondary. How are some families going to handle child care after school when SAC is not a financial option for them?I understand you have a very tough job ahead. Not everyone is going to be happy. However, by listening to parents complain about the length of the day and changing it aren't we teaching our children that if they complain enough the situation will be changed? Can't we teach children responsibility by dealing with the situation at hand and being good students by turning off their devices and going to bed? How about having the parents actually parent and make their secondary child turn off their devices and go to bed? If I had my pick, any option that would put the elementary school home after the secondary is preferred. However, it is obvious that things are going to be moved to put the elementary home earlier than the secondary students. With needing 45 minutes between bus routes, I would suggest the following:Elementary 8:15 am 3:30 pmSecondary 9 am 4 pmAt least at 8:15 it is light outside and elementary students won't be waiting for the bus in the dark most of the school year. The Secondary students can sleep in. Again, I am one of the few that likes the current school schedule. I like that my kids arrive at SAC morning care and play for about 40 minutes then head to class. They get home at 4:05 and I am able to be home with them. Their day is about 40 minutes longer. With the change to the current schedule, my children were pulled from both morning and afternoon SAC which allowed for them to have more time at home playing and with family. Prior to this schedule, my daughter was dropped off at morning care at 7:30 and picked up around 5 pm. The later schedule for elementary allowed a change in work schedule for me to be home with my children. That to me is more important that anything. Again, this is no easy task and not everyone will be happy. But, as someone who lived through a time when I was at school at 7:40 am and out at 3:15 pm as a secondary student, I turned out alright. Yes, I was busy and I worked as well. But, I also learned time management and being organized so I could do everything I wanted to do. Sure, there were days I was tired. But, that wasn't because of the school day. It was from the choices I made. I am not saying that we need to keep a schedule because many of the parents did it. But, I do think we need to teach children 12/14/2015 the skills they will need to be successful in life beyond what is in a book.Thank you for your time and the opportunity to provide input. I have a 1st grader and a 5th grader. With the current start time of 8:35 I can't image making them wake any earlier to accommodate these proposed schedule options. Our bus picks up at 7:50 and my kids wake up at 7am while it is still pitch black outside. I understand the concern about the older children going to school so early but the issue is really your bus situation not school start times. I went to school in a town where everyone started school at the same time no matter what the grade. Maybe you need to seek other alternatives instead if making 6 year old wake up before 12/14/2015 7am. They are exhausted enough! I am the parent of an elementary student and I am absolutely in favor of the 5C scenario. It seems that it is the only one that addresses both the length of day and the later start time for secondary students. My first grader consistently goes to bed between 7:30 & 8 and is still SO tired after school, worsening as the week goes on. She is a bright student, achieving at or above grade level at each reporting period. However, at the end of the week she is exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally. I also wish that there were more breaks built into the day for these little ones. Research frequently shows that students perform better with breaks for physical activity. One 20 minute recess does not seem like nearly enough for 6 year 12/14/2015 olds. Thank you for addressing these concerns.

Scenario 5b would be the optimal time frames in my opinion. My elementary aged children are exhausted after a long day of school. Children need more uninstructed play time to develope problem solving skills that cannot be duplicated in an overly‐supervised instructed time. Also, after such a long school day my children are not ready to sit down for additional assigned work at home. Lastly, our 3rd is turning 5 this summer & could enter Kindergarten. Because the days are so long we will hold her back (& send her to a private half day kindergarten this coming school year) to be the eldest in her public school kindergarten class the following year because she is not yet ready for such long school days. Should MCCSC shorten 12/14/2015 the elementary school day enough, we will consider sending her to Childs Kindergarten this coming year. Thank you for considering shortening the school day. My 1st choice would be to go back to the original school hours, however if that isn't a 12/14/2015 choice, my next choice would be Scenario 5A**. Next would be Scenario 5C, and last Scenario 5. Thank you! 12/14/2015 Schedule 5C looks good! 12/14/2015 The old school day times were amazing, please make those a scenario! 12/14/2015 SCENARIO 2*• Secondary– 7:55‐2:55 ‐6:30 day ‐(‐45 hours/year)• Elementary – 8:35‐3:35 ‐6:10 day ‐(‐45 hours/year) The school day for elementary, middle and high school students is way too long. What happened to school starting at 8:00 am and ending at 2:30pm? If school ended at 2:30 pm, there is time to play, do after school activities, sports, homework and spend time with the family. Plus, kids would not be 12/14/2015 as tired.

I feel the school day is too long, especially for the elementary schools. The start times do need to be changed, however I feel the biggest problem is the length of day. I worry about the start time for high schools being pushed back creating an end time too late in the afternoon without time being taken out of the day. I understand the idea of letting high school kids sleep in, however, those that are involved in extra curricular activities will now get home even later. Not to mention the teachers that are coaches. So much time is spent at schools for kids and teachers, a later end time will only magnify this. Students will still need to go home, eat dinner, spend time with family, and do homework. Will this make them stay up later knowing that they can sleep in longer than past years? I feel the 2010‐2011 start and end times for both high school and elementary schools is ideal! If we 12/14/2015 have to choose a scenario, 5A would be the closest to best fit our needs, however I still feel it makes for a long day for elementary kids. I'm for the 5C option. I have very tired freshman. My daughter in particular is suffering from these early mornings and it is actually keeping her from wanting to participate in any school activities or outside of school activities because she is so tired. She falls asleep after school every day. 12/14/2015 I'm hoping something can change. Thank you! Any one of the 5C scenarios responds to the requests for shortening the school day for the Elementary School students and later start time for the High School students. High school students are working toward a diploma, and they need their sleep to function well during the day. Starting later will 12/14/2015 help with attendance and academic success for the high school students that do not have much, if any, support at home.

If you are to maintain a longer elementary school day, I would like to see additional recess time. No matter what happens, I think it would be beneficial to switch the order of lunch and recess. My child often does not eat his lunch because he is in a hurry to get to recess, which is the only 12/14/2015 time that he sees his friends. If recess were first, then lunch, I think he would take more time to get the nourishment he needs.

5C$ is the best compromise. It allows time for secondary students practice time for sports. The other models result in secondary students getting out 12/14/2015 later.Having the secondary students start the school day after the elementary students will allow the secondary students to get more sleep. I think the 5C proposals are the only ones worth discussing. These address the main concerns about secondary children going to school too early. I 12/14/2015 think 5C or 5c$ would be the best because the start times are easier to remember.

Regarding the recent addition of scenarios, scenarios 5C#, 5C, and 5C* are all adequate, but 5C* is the best scenario of them all. School needs to start at least an hour later than it is now for secondary students; otherwise, the well‐being of the students and MCCSC schools are compromised. Many studies have shown it is not only physically more difficult for teenagers to wake up early (it's not just laziness!) but it also greatly compromises a student's academic performance to wake up excessively early. I can say from personal experience that having to be at school at 7:40 a.m. is incredibly taxing for both me and my peers. I am a tenth grader at Bloomington High School South, and I have to wake up at 5:30‐6 a.m. to get ready for school and make it to my bus on time. High school students have to balance difficult schoolwork, loads of homework, and extra curricular activities, all with the looming threat of not getting into a decent college and living a successful life, all because they didn't perform adequately it these three criterion; consequently, students struggle to fit sleep into their packed schedules, forget about leisure time. Asking these students to be at school before 8:50 am is absolutely atrocious; if anyone should be coming to school later, it's the secondary school students. Elementary school students do not need to come to school at 8:50 a.m. They have recess, much less homework, and the only thing that their grades and extra curricular participation are going toward is the satisfaction of themselves and their families. They can deal with coming to school at 8:05 a.m., which is still 25 minutes later than the time we secondary school students have to be at school now. An 8:50 a.m.‐3:55 p.m. school schedule for secondary students is a reasonable request even for those who don't care about the student's well‐being and only that of our middle schools and high schools as a whole. Because secondary school students would be waking up earlier, they would be more alert and perform better in school as stated previously. This would result in students performing better grade‐wise and in standardized tests, which would likely increase MCCSC school ratings and maybe even the salaries of our hard‐working teachers. For these reasons along with many others, it is clear that the school schedule for secondary students 12/14/2015 should be changed to 8:50‐3:55, and the schedule for elementary students should be changed to 8:05‐2:55, following scenario 5C*. I prefer 5C*. My 6th grader is 11.5 y.o. and already has trouble keeping alert in the early mornings. I know it will get worse. Please start secondary 12/14/2015 schools later than primary: it really is a public health measure! I am a huge fan of scenario 5B! I feel the current school day is entirely too long. My daughter is exhausted by the end of the day, and I know she 12/14/2015 cannot focus for seven hours every day. Although I don't believe any of the scenarios are completely ideal for both Elementary and Secondary kids, our family is leaning toward 5A. I believe the day could be even shorter though. Elementary school children are definitely in need of a shorter day. My kids have had a horrible time trying to adapt to the long school day and I still don't think my second grader has fully adapted to the long hours. I would suggest an early release 12/14/2015 day instead of the late start. Shorten the school day and drop the nearly daily remediation time. While I understand the need for allocated time for struggling students to catch up, it seems senseless to make every student be in school longer each day. Instead of one shortened day each week like we have now, why not have one longer day each week with remediation time? Both my kids say they spend the time visiting with friends or texting. I'd rather they use that time 12/15/2015 to sleep a little longer.

I am a mom of 3, one in elementary school, two in middle school. I find it difficult as it is to get my grade schooler up as early as he already gets up. To get him up earlier would be even more difficult. Furthermore, my middle school kids are in sports after school. They would get home so late it would be difficult to have any family time bacause they would be doing homework and then need to go to bed forcyhe next day. I understand that changes sometimes need to be made however, I don't think changing every few years is going to help children to succeed. It was difficult the first time and this would only cause more frustration for us as a family. We enjoy being with our kids and helping them with their work. This would be harder to 12/15/2015 get homework done and do any other activities in our schedule. Hank you for letting us share our thoughts and thank you for working for our kids. Shorten the school day, let HS students start their day later. There's research to support both and in a university town, we should respect 12/15/2015 research. I vote for 5C! Although I currently have elementary students that would have to get to school earlier, the priority above all should be for secondary 12/15/2015 students to get the recommended start time.

I'm disappointed to read in the hearald times that option 5c is the most popular. 5a is a much better choice. 5c only take 10 minutes off in the morning. The elementary kids need to get out of school earlier at the end of the day. 10 minutes is nothing to shorten the school day. I think if 12/15/2015 option 5c is proposed then late started should not be eliminated. My kids recharge on Wednesday late start.

I advocate switching the secondary schedule so that it is later than the primary school schedule. The research is strong and consistent that adolescents do much better in school when they are able to start the school day later. We owe it to our kids to give them a schedule that works well for their bodies and minds.I would also support shortening the school day (particularly the elementary school day). It is so long that kids are exhausted by the 12/15/2015 end of the day. My preference among the options presented is option 5C. 12/15/2015 Why can't the elementary day be 8:15‐3:00 and mid/high school be 9:00‐3:45? I really like the 5C# scenario. I think that both start and end times are reasonable for the age groups involved. I will have 3 children in elementary school and 1 in middle school next year. My younger children are often too tired to function when they get home from such a long day. There is also very little time for anything extra after school. This is especially true as we try to get them to bed on time. My older daughter can definitely handle the 12/15/2015 later schedule better. We agree with Teresa Glenn's letter to the editor 12/15/2015. Please shorten the elementary school day by 45 minutes. The school day is too 12/15/2015 long for our children. Thank you

The new 5C options are great. Starting the middle and high schools later is the most important element to me, because research shows that teenagers stay up later. But it would also be very helpful to our family if elementary school started earlier. Right now, we have to pay for before and after school care, because both parents work full time and need to be at work by 8am. If elementary school started before or even right at 8am, we could drop off (we live next to the school, no bus service) and still make it to work on time. This is a huge help to us financially, but we would also be able to talk with 12/15/2015 our teachers at drop‐off, taken in supplies when needed, etc, which doesn't happen now.

I'm just curious how this might affect the ALPs schedule. Currently, elementary ALPs students begin and end an hour before their peers due to transportation and the need for elementary ALPs students to ride with high school students in order to catch a shuttle to University School. It would be great if ALPs students could be on the same schedule as the rest of the elementary school in order to plan and collaborate with other teachers and students. It would be a shame in my opinion if the elementary and secondary schedules were to flip without considering a solution to have the elementary ALPs students start at the same time as the rest of the school. I would hate to see ALPs students move to the original elementary day schedule (2015‐2016) while all other elementary students move to an earlier start time (current ALPs schedule overall). Additionally, the three ALPs teachers currently stay an hour after school twice a month in order for faculty meetings to start. If only the three ALPs teachers were on a later start time than the rest of University School (assuming ALPs was still on the secondary schedule), would all twenty‐some other teachers be expected to wait an hour after school for faculty meetings? This seems unlikely. However, I would hate to think of the amount of information that would be missed by the three ALPs teachers if faculty meetings were held directly after school if a switch between elementary and secondary schedules was made without 12/15/2015 also adjusting the ALPs schedule. Thank you for taking the time to re evaluate the length of the school day in Monroe County. Based on the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to start secondary schools after 8:30, our family most prefers your original 5C option with a time adjustment to shorten the school day a bit more.We want our children to be excited about school and enjoy learning, but we think it is important that they have time ​outside of school to spend time with their families, play with friends outside, and enjoy extracurricular activities. With the current schedule, it is difficult for them to have time for anything after school aside from homework, dinner, and a bath ​if they are to go to bed at a reasonable time.5C Adjusted RecommendationElementary ‐ 8 am ‐ 2:30 pm (like Carmel and Lawrence Township Schools)Secondary ‐ 8:45 am ‐ 3:30 pm (to allow children to participate in after‐school activities)Homeschool ​and Finnish schools ​show us that it is about the quality of the time we spend educating our children, not the quantity, and there is a lot of valuable education children gain outside of structured school time as well. I would like to see all of our children in Monroe County Community Schools enjoy a well‐rounded education that focuses on a quality curriculum in school​s​ designed to raise children, rather than test scores.​I wonder if we can learn from Finland's schools, which have the top performing schools in the world. "Teachers in Finland spend fewer hours at school each day and spend less time in classrooms than American teachers. Teachers use the extra time to build curriculums and assess their students. Children spend far more time playing outside, even in the depths of winter. Homework is minimal." (http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/04/01/finland‐s‐a‐schools)​Because Finland is known for their top‐performing schools in the world, maybe there are some things we can learn from ​them. ​1. ​Less Time in School = More RestStudents typically start school between 9:00 and 9:45. Actually, Helsinki is thinking of creating a law stating that schools cannot begin before 9:00 am because research has consistently proved that adolescents need quality sleep in the morning. The school day usually ends by 2:00 or 2:45. This overall system allows both students and teachers to be well rested and ready to teach/learn.​2. ​Fewer Instruction Hours = More Planning TimeTeachers have shorter days as well. According to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) an average Finnish teacher teaches 600 hours annually or about 4 or less lessons daily. An average U.S. teacher almost doubles that teaching time with an average of over 1,080 hours of in‐class instruction annually. This equals an average of six or more lessons daily.​This system allows the Finnish teacher more time to plan and think about each lesson. It allows them to create great, thought​‐​provoking lessons.3. Less Testing = More LearningImagine all of the exciting things you could do with your students if there wasn't a giant state test looming over your head every year. Imagine the freedom you could have if your pay wasn't connected to your student's test scores. Imagine how much more fun and engaging your lessons would be!Although it still exists, there is overall less pressure on the teacher in Finland to get through the curriculum. The teacher is simply trusted to do a good job and therefore they have more control over their classroom and its content. The teacher is able to take more risks and try new things and create exciting, engaging curriculum that allows students to become skilled individuals ready for the real world. They have time to teach skills that allow students to develop into individuals who know how to start a project and work systematically to accomplish a goal. They have time to teach craft education where students get to learn how to do real life 12/15/2015 skills like sewing, cooking, cleaning, woodworking and more! And while they are learning these amazing skills they are also learning math and The 5C scenario seems the best to me. I would not want my elementary children to be at the bus stop much earlier than 7:30 a.m. especially in the winter secondary to cold weather. I am curious if this scenario would have an hour delay on wednesday as well, however if the total school day is 12/15/2015 shorter than I don't know if they would need it.

The only proposal that reflects the recommendation of the AAP is 5C. I can't imagine you would even consider a recommendation that goes against respected medical input. My high schoolers are beyond exhausted with the current set up. It totally works against their biology. Please 12/15/2015 consider pushing back the timeout only if it makes a meaningful difference. 8:30 is the earliest reasonable time! I believe the school day as itis currently is too long for our children. My kids are exhausted by the time they get home and are not ready to sit down for their assigned homework. I have a child with a summer birthday who could enter kindergarten this year but will not due to the length of day. She is smart and ready for more than preschool, but the length of day is too much and so we will hold her back another year. If the length of day changes to 12/15/2015 a reasonable length I will consider kindergarten for her this coming year.

Thanks to all who are working on this serious issue. Currently, I am concerned with the length of the school day for the younger kids ‐ it is TOO LONG. These kids are exhausted and many of them have very little time to reboot at home, either because they are involved in extracurricular themselves or are being dragged around for older siblings activities. Also, each of my grade school kids (at Rogers and Binford) continually complain that lunch is way too short. If the school days stays even close to as long as it is currently, please consider more recess time and longer lunch. But most importantly, PLEASE make an effort to talk to the teachers about what they think is best for their learners. I have talked to teachers at other schools who have 12/15/2015 alluded that the long school day detracts from the teachings as the learners are too exhausted.

I am happy with the current school schedule. I don't see any need to change. Most importantly, I don't want elementary school students to have to wake up before 7 AM to get ready for school. My husband and I both work 8 to 5 so our kids will still need to go to extended day even if they 12/15/2015 get done early at school. What I would like to see is more options for after school activities, such as music, foreign language, sports and etc.

The changes are NOT presented clearly. The opening page shows today's schedule ‐ must click on a link to even see that there is a proposed change, and virtually no explanation. (e.g. instruction time vs. total time, plan for Wed, etc...) There is also no explanation as to why you are even considering a change. Why do we need 45 minute gap between elementary and secondary start times?I don't want any change to elementary schedule. If we must (?) start elementary earlier, I would want it to be as late as possible (8:05 from options shown). I don't understand why or how you are shortening the day by 25 minutes. Will the break/lunch time be shortened? Surely there will be more than 25 minutes total for lunch and recess/breaks, so that must mean less instruction time each day. Again, why? I guess (!?) that means same schedule for Wed/every day to make 12/15/2015 up for that. In short ‐ not nearly enough info or explanation, and in lieu of better explanation I am very opposed to these changes.

I feel as though the school day is far too long. My child comes home and barely has enough time to play for a few minutes, eat dinner and then he is so tired that he goes to bed around 7 pm. I do not feel as though the extra time that the children are spending in school is beneficial. I do not feel the children are learning more, rather, the extra time is being used as childcare for families with parents who both work. I don't think that the children need more time in specials either. Also, I think that makes it hard on the teachers. The teachers have less prep time or they have to spend 12/16/2015 their free time prepping because they are teaching into the late afternoon. I like the 8:45‐3:50 time for secondary students. I hate to take away the time the teachers get on Wednesday mornings now because I feel that students are getting the same information no matter what class they are in now. It is good for the departments to work as teams and learn from and use everyones strengths. I do not feel we should be adding buses to accomodate a schedule change. Does this schedule change the budget?I know people are concerned about extra curricular activities with this schedule change. I hope we make decisions for our kids as students first. The extra 12/16/2015 curricular activities need to be a last concern. My daughter is an athlete. She is a student first. 5C$ is a good scenario for secondary getting more sleep and elementary getting home earlier, though elementary hours still seems too long. Is it possible to change their end time to 2:00? Is it necessary that they be in school for almost 7 hours? Or use the original 5C schedule and let the 12/16/2015 elementary out at around 2:30. The elementary school day is too long. End at 3:00 p.m. or at the very latest 3:30 p.m. Do NOT begin earlier. The long school day does not enhance learning. I am a former teacher and a professional children's librarian with degrees in education and library science. Offer after‐school care for 12/16/2015 those who need it, and allow the majority of the children to go home and PLAY.

Please build in travel time for teachers who move to other buildings for PLC work. Maybe lessen dismissal duty to allow travel time? Music K‐6 has met in 3 different buildings in the past few years. Some of us have to have time to pack up at one building to be at another building the next morning 12/16/2015 as all music classrooms do not have the same resources. Thank you for considering this request. School day is too long for all students. We should not be attending school past 3:30 in any grade level. It would be fine to start high school at 8:00 a.m. and elementary later. I have been at the high school to drop off my student and it doesn't matter what time school starts, they will still be late. At the high school or middle school level, you should be concerned with sporting or extra curricular events that will have to start later resulting in 12/16/2015 buses getting kids home at an unreasonable hour. Athletics is the elephant in the room. Research shows students learn better later in the day. Which is more important, athletics or education? With the 12/16/2015 referendum approaching, we will be monitoring your decision closely. The school day is too long for elementary kids. Please shorten to a more reasonable length. Also, important to make sure all children have a chance 12/16/2015 each day for physical activity. I support the ORIGINAL 5C SCENARIO. My daughter (junior in HS) loves every Wednesday for the extra time in bed.... If the elementary school children (and their parents) don't mind, I could live with an earlier starting time for HS and MS, but NOT before 8:30am.Thank you for your consideration 12/16/2015 and all you do...I imagine it's not always easy to solve logistic problems. 5B gets a little bit later start time for older kids, while also shortening the day for elementary. I also think 5c$ or 5C@ work well for the length of school day and start time for secondary, but they don't address the need for a shorter day for our elementary students.I think the two most important ideas that the community has been expressing to our board and superintendent for the last few years are‐1) A later start time for middle and high school students.2) A shorter school day for Elementary students. As the parent of a middle schooler, I don't want the school day to be shortened. I very much appreciate the built in time at the end of the day that allows for students to meet with teachers for extra help/to re‐take tests, or to do their homework. I'm afraid if the school day is shortened this might be the first thing to go.The bus situation must be considered as well. The scenarios that include adding more than one bus do not seem realistic at all. The transportation department has struggled for several years now to find needed bus drivers. Putting the school system in a position that it needs to now find even more bus drivers will not work. Do you have a sense of why it's so hard to find bus drivers now? May be worth looking into, what has changed in the last few years? Lastly, please eliminate the Wednesday late start. It is very stressful to deal with as a working parents.It is very important in the year of our referendum to address our 12/16/2015 communities concerns in a thoughtful manner.Thank you

I am glad to see that the Board is considering taking action on these very important issues‐‐the starting time for the school day and the length of day, too. I have two children, an elementary‐aged daughter and a junior high‐aged daughter. They go to bed at reasonable times, have good work ethics (homework gets done soon after arrival home from school), they are not involved in more than one extra activity per week (and this only for one day per week), but they are exhausted by the end of the school week. They are simply not able to get enough sleep. As a high school teacher, I see the zombies in my classroom, and know that many of my students could perform at a higher level if only they were coming to school later. On Wednesdays, my classes are in much better spirits, more engaged, and better able to concentrate and follow a lesson. The rest of the day flows so much better from the later start. I am in favor of schedule variant 5C and the others that have school starting at 8:30 or later for the secondary. It is not just for the sake of my daughters, but for the sake of all of the students. The science behind the biology of our teens and their sleep cycles is irrefutable. We must model to our kids that we take their health concerns seriously, and that we will act in their best interests, as the adults and stewards of their well‐being that we are. There may be objections from those in the community who support extracurricular sports at our schools. Some may say that a later ending to our secondary day will detrimentally impact the ability of our teams to practice and compete. I find this a bogus claim. Please do not allow the shouts of a few to override the very real problem we need to solve. I teach many student‐athletes and nearly 100% of them are in favor of a schedule that provides them with a later start to the day. These kids are high achieving, hard working and thoughtful. They know 12/16/2015 that they need more sleep! Please support a change that is scientifically sound. Thank you for taking the concerns of the community to heart. 12/16/2015 Teachers work even longer. It takes 10‐12 hours per day to manage the longer student day. 12/16/2015 I support the original proposal 5c (with the 8:00 and 8:45 start times), but would not object to a 5‐ or 10‐minute variation.

I am a student. I really like Scenario 5A, we get a little more sleep, but we also get out a little earlier. I am very confused with how on the first slide, it says Secondary should start no later than 8:30.... and one of these scenarios has us starting at 7:25, that makes no sense. I do however like these 12/16/2015 scenarios with the fact that they start later. I think I will find myself much more attentive and alert with the first few periods of the day 12/17/2015 ðŸ‘🠼👠🠼👠🠼

1. Shortening elementary school day is important. My grandson, kindergartner, is ready for bed when he gets home leaving no time for family time, homework or dinner. 2. I understand the issues with high schoolers BUT we have to be a part of the world. Most jobs begin at 8A ‐ their school day should start at 8A. If we moved to central time, it wouldn't be as big of an issue, but that isn't changing. I would not start their day after 8A. They have to learn. It's an issue with college classes too, but they have to deal in the real world. Plus, to work a part‐time job after school, they have to get out early enough in the day so there are some hours to work. Many parents don't think twice about late night activities, but 12/17/2015 don't enforce quiet time/lights out. Why start later? 12/17/2015 I like the 5c* option best, as I would rather not have my elementary kids start school before 8:00 a.m. 5C has the best times.5A has the best lengths of day.Consider 2 but switching the secondary and elementary schedules.Better yet, return to 2010‐ 12/17/2015 2011! I am a student. And I hate having to be at school so so early. It makes me exhausted, and I'm not able to learn to my full ability. There needs to be a change in the time we have to be at school, but that doesn't mean we should have to stay until 4:30pm..that's crazy. We have 12/17/2015 life's outside of side and this personally ticks me off that it hasn't been seen.

I am a teacher and a parent. My daughter went to elementary when the day was 9‐3. She is an educated, well rounded and happy person. She has very fond memories of her elementary school. She also very much enjoyed spending half of the day HOME with me. Kids grow up so fast, and they 12/17/2015 have so many years where they have to WORK 8 hours a day! Don't have their early years be so stressful too! A start time for Middle and High School students of 8:00 pm or shortly after would work well. Let's not go too far over the other extreme by 12/18/2015 having the kids go to school too late, as they will just stay up late and parents still have to go to work. 12/18/2015 I think we should use the 5C start time because it makes the most sense. And it will be easier for all of the high school students 12/18/2015 I like the 5C options that support the research that shows secondary students need a later start time. Thank you for considering this.

I like any of the 5C schedules. Please, please, please pick one of these so that kids are in school shorter days. I teach first grade and it takes everything we have to engage 6 and 7 year olds after 2:00. They are just done by then. Plus, I don't generally get home before 6:00 each night. One short meeting and some prepping for the next day (not to mention cleaning up from the day's activitie), makes our days way too long. I have to answer almost all my emails in the evening at home. We also often have to come in on the weekends to organize our rooms, grade assessments, etc. I love to 12/18/2015 teach, but I can't continue to work 12+ hours every day...

I don't have a specific proposal in mind as my favorite, but please don't start elementary before high school and please don't release 12/20/2015 elementary before 3. I support a shorter elementary school day, but please try to cut a little time off each end, not just a lot of time off one end. The start time 5C would be amazing! Flipping the times for the high school and grade school is something that would work. Grade school has typical 12/21/2015 bed times and they are not up till after midnight trying to study for a test or doing home work. I like scenero 5C. My children are exhausted by the weekend and it takes all of Sat for them to recoup. They are in middle and High school. It's obvious the school board doesnt have children in these grades or you would see how exhausted these kids are. My kids have to be up at 5am, catch the bus at 6:20am and go till 8:30pm at night in their after school activities, then come home do chores and homework, barely get a dinner. YOU try 12/21/2015 that schedule. I am exhausted too. Why aren't we looking at different bussing options? WHY would we start the school day based on the BUS SCHEDULE, and against AAP 12/21/2015 recommendations?We need to think of the children first, there are bussing options out there. I think that the health of our students should take priority over convenience, so I most support the scenarios that meet the CDC guidelines of secondary schools starting now later than 8:30AM. Because of this, I think the 5C options are best. Among the potential 5C variations, I'm not 12/22/2015 sure which is best at this point...

I am really happy to see that these adjustments are being looked at. Based on the voices of middle school and high school parents, option 5c is the only one that addresses the later start time, so one of the options within 5c seems to be the obvious choice. As a parent of a second grader and kindergartner, the school day is WAY too long, so I am happy that all options appear to shorten the day. Kids need time to be kids after school, and our current schedule doesn't really allow for that. Students are exhausted, and extra curricular activities are difficult to fit in. As a teacher in the district, I am hoping that the change in times will open the door to looking at the contracted teacher day. I taught for eight years in Colorado before coming to MCCSC, and I was baffled to hear that my first year in the district was the first time there was a set teacher day. In Colorado, we always had a contracted day. Having the teacher day start when the student day starts is completely unprofessional. I don't know anyone who can walk in when the students do, unless they have prepared the day before. My suggestion would be to have the teacher day start a minimum of fifteen minutes before students arrive, if not twenty. Our current teacher day vs. student contact day is not reasonable for planning or meeting with parents/colleagues/administrators. I feel like it is a big reason teachers are so stressed and overwhelmed. We are asked to do SO much outside of the contract day without being compensated, and it causes teachers to feel unappreciated. In Colorado, we were contracted twenty minutes before students arrived and forty‐five minutes after they left (even an hour at one time). This was an 8 hour teacher day. The time before and after allowed for much needed prep and meeting time. At one of my schools, we had one set day a week where we stayed fifteen minutes (or maybe it was thirty) beyond the contracted day. This specific afternoon was set aside for faculty meetings (twice a month) and PLC meetings (twice a month). In exchange for staying beyond the contracted day each week, we were allowed to leave early each Friday. This could be an option if the late start is removed. I would be happy to talk with someone if more suggestions about the teacher day are needed. I have to say that I feel like I was treated much more like a professional in Colorado. Some aspects about Indiana have been quite disappointing. I have several suggestions/ideas that I thought 12/28/2015 worked very well in the two Colorado districts I worked for if anyone is ever interested in hearing them. Thank you for reading. 5c sounds ideal. L I have 4 children in mccsc. My 8th grader can not get out of bed till 10 minutes before the bus comes at 630 Even if we try we can not get him asleep before 1030. He does not eat breakfast in the mornings and hardly makes the bus. My other three do fine getting on the bus at 812 and if one is running behind I know I have 25 minutes to drive that child to school. First I must say I am a stay at home mom so I am flexible with the times. I do not like how some of these teenagers are running around with no parents home till 6Pm with secondary schools out later less time 12/28/2015 for kids to get into mischief. Also the elementary children are offered after school care so earlier time is no big deal.

5A seems to be the best option of keeping the day the same for both HS and ES. This also doesn't create a problem with the bus situation. I would like to ask a couple questions. I am sure that this has been thought out but here you go.Why did we change in the first place?What is our motive this time? Studies or parent concern (complaint)If this is study based then why not an option for HS students to start later? I do not agree with this just wondering. We all went to school at this time and things were fine. There are so many extra curricular (and non curricular) things to do now away days. I played 5 sports in HS and still had time to hang out with friends. The phone and electronics are so consuming that I think that keeps kids up at night through addiction. I think if you listen to a teacher or a parent in this situation, the writing is on the wall. These kids are ate up with school. More is not more in this case, like many. If you were a worker bee then yeah, more is more. I don't think are kids are working smarter, I think the teachers are b/c they are trying to keep the kids attention and interests due to the length of day. Then the child goes home and is looking for to do mindless stuff. I am rambling but I do think the day is too long, especially for the younger kids. They older kids will have to live this life 12/30/2015 sooner than young kids as they are getting ready for college (most are taking college credits in HS anyhow) or a job. I see my son with red blood shot eyes on a daily basis and just know he isn't able to learn as well as when he was getting enough sleep. I think along with the later start time, parents need to commit to getting their children to bed at a decent time. My son goes to bed between 9:30 and 10:00 pm. He falls to sleep between 10:00 and 10:30. He really needs to be able to sleep until at least 6:30, but his bus picks him up at 6:45. This is where 12/31/2015 we are having a problem. He just doesn't get enough sleep.

Ii would be so much better if no student had to begin school before 8:00 a.m. Using that as a guide, that immediately eliminated many of scenarios. I also do not want to see the elementary students lose 174 hours a year of instruction time, so that eliminated 5B. Of the remaining scenarios, the one where there appears to be the least amount of time lost and the most reasonable start time for the secondary students (in agreement with current 1/1/2016 studies) is "Scenario 5C with Additional Time Added." That would be my choice among those offered. Scenario 5A appears to be the best compromise that does not require allocation of additional resources (e.g., more buses). As a family, we are in strong support of shortening the school day, particularly for elementary students. However, we have serious concerns about ending the elementary school day significantly earlier (e.g., 2:45PM) as this creates added strain for working families and will likely result in additional childcare costs for working parents. In addition, it is not likely that these students will have more "free" time, but simply more time in childcare. Furthermore, an early start day (7:35AM) for elementary students, particularly those in the more rural areas of the county, presents safety concerns as they would be waiting for buses in the dark. While we are in favor of supporting substantial research that suggests secondary students benefit from a later start time in school, limited resources force a choice between later start time for high school kids, versus safety/childcare concerns for younger 1/2/2016 kids. Given this forced choice, safety and childcare of younger children seems a more pressing concern.

After reviewing the many scenarios, I feel that 5A provides the most benefit with the current resources MCCSC has. While research does show that high school students do better later in the day, having elementary school children get out of school at 2:45 places significantly more demand on parents (as the early start time for Wednesdays did). Many of these children will not be at home more, just in daycare more. 5A allows for no increased bussing resources (which are already very tight). It also allows high school students to participate in the longer extra‐curricular activities without going significantly into the evening. Finally, with daylight savings time, elementary students will be out in the dark commonly waiting for buses, which is a safety concern. Overall, 5A seems to shorten the day and provide families flexibility to continue to work. If we still worry about too 1/2/2016 much classroom time for elementary students with 5A, add in another 15 minute recess, rather than just 1 a day. I like 8am start time so I can drop my son off to school before work and be able to meet his teacher if needed. I honestly don't like late 1/4/2016 Wednesdays. He is prepared for school already, why gave him extra hour that day. 1/4/2016 My preference is for the 5C option.

1/5/2016 I like Scenario 4. I feel that there is still enough time in the day to accomplish things both from the educator and student stand point.

I am currently a corporate driver for the MCCSC. I do have several concerns at this point. First I would like to say that before I was a driver when my own children were attending MCCSC elementary and HS/MS the beginning times were 8am Secondary and 9am El.These are still my preferred times. Here are my concerns:#1) I do believe the current time for Secondary schools is challenging for teenagers. I would be in support for a later time for them regarding physical health.#2) I also believe that the start time for elementary students should NOT be any earlier than it is now. I currently drive a rural route for Lakeview and pick up my first handful of students a little after 7am. Some of them are kindergarteners and I know they are challenged especially during the darkness. They often fall fast asleep during the first half of my 1 hour route.#3) I am 63 years old and chose to drive not only for the extra income but for the health insurance benefits that are offered by the MCCSC. I hope that with the complexity of working out the new hours and transportation routes that this will also be taken into consideration. There are many other drivers who have gratefully being relying on the MCCSC 1/5/2016 health benefit plans. Thank you for your attention, Please Do NOT Eliminate our PLC time. As a teacher in a school that values this time, we are better for our students as a result of this specific time that is set aside to collaborate.As an educator, I firmly believe that scenarios 2 & 3 serve our students best. However, I see the added bus expense, and know that is a considerable cost and factor in this decision. If you must go with a scenario that would take away our PLC time, that I would firmly stand behind scenario 5C. Again, I think this schedule would be in the best interest of our students (and I WOULD say our teachers, here, 1/5/2016 too... except for the lack of PLC time). Starting high school later is important (maybe a half‐hour to 45 minutes later), but not extending the school day is equally important...other than perhaps by 5 or 10 minutes. That means finding about 30‐40 minutes in the school day to cut. At South, where I teach, that could be easily done with 25 minutes cut overall from periods 1 through 5, and 15 minutes less of Panther Plus time.Start school: 8:25 am; End: 3:00 pm.I look forward to 1/5/2016 completing the Survey Monkey also. Thanks. I like the Scenario 5B. The day is too long for elementary children. Most of the scenarios do not allow for much time variation for elementary students 3:30 leave time is not much different than 3:50. The only feasible way is to do away with PLC on Wednesday mornings. I think the best plan 1/5/2016 is 5B. Thanks for your efforts.

Option 5C seems like a viable option. As a middle school teacher and a coach, starting later and ending before 4:00 should be fine. Because busses need to finish their routes before taking us to away meets/games, we generally don't get a bus until 4:30 and sometimes later. So I don't understand why people are saying this will impact athletics since some elementary routes would be completed and we'd still have a bus by 4:30 or perhaps sooner unless there are several that run elementary and secondary routes. My 3rd grade daughter has a difficult time waking up now. I can't imagine what will happen as she gets older. A later day for secondary students is a must. I see the effects of an early start time every day 1/5/2016 during my first period math class‐‐worst time for most to take in new information. I am very against having the secondary schools start after the elementary schools for several reasons.1. It could be a recipe for disaster for Hoosier Hills Career Center. The center serves eight different high schools, four of which are from other districts with earlier start and end times. If we adjust our schedule to later on both sides then these schools will most likely not be able to make it here which would cut our school population in about half. This would result in many teaching positions being cut and also programs that serve the students of MCCSC.2. I am a coach and sports for the secondary students are already going late enough with a 3:00pm school day let out. If we push it later then students will have to be at the schools later for practices or competitions/matches. 3. Starting the secondary students later is NOT going to help them be more awake during classes. I have had an above average (above a 4.0 GPA) athlete of mine admit that she just goes to bed later when she doesn't have to be up. Last year during her junior year she had to be at school at the normal start time so she went to bed around 10:30pm. This year she has IU release first period and because she knows she doesn't have to be up everyday for school she goes to bed later. Almost all teenagers will do the same thing. They will adjust their schedules to where they just go to bed later. 4. When I have questioned my athletes or students about starting after elementary and having a later start time I have not heard a single one say that they would like to do this. Yes, they're tired...but so are faculty and staff members. Everyone wakes up and does just fine, though. Flipping the schedules will not make enough of a change for it to be worth it. If anything the best schedule presented for secondary was the 7:35‐2:35pm schedule. It cuts the time down a bit to not overload the students, but also allows for 1/6/2016 extra curricular activities to start earlier and be done earlier.

As an MCCSC school bus driver I would like to offer one strong request: Please do not choose to make the MCCSC Elementary school start time earlier than its current start time of 8:40am. I drive a rural route for Lakeview. The first students I pick up this year are 3 kindergartners a little after 7am. My route is a bit over 1 hour long. If these young children needed to be at school any earlier it would be a severe challenge for both students and parents.I 1/6/2016 wish the school board would re‐consider the 2010‐11 times of 8am Secondary & 9am ElementaryThank you for your consideration I teach secondary level and have had 2 kids go through the school system, involved in after school activities/sports. I prefer 8:30 ‐ 3:35 (for secondary) of the new schedule choices. I prefer the day to end earlier due to after school events running too late when you end the school day later. This later 1/6/2016 start time also allows the high school student a little more time to sleep in the morning. I really like the 5C adjusted schedule. I hope that the elementary and secondary school start times will be reversed and that the older children who 1/6/2016 need that extra sleep time will be able to benefit from it. 1/6/2016 Schedule 5C* makes the most sense to me ‐ it would seem to be the best for both groups of students. 1/7/2016 Scenario 5 or 5a would work out the best. I love the idea of flipping school day and like 8:05 as start for Elem and 45 min later for start of secondary. My 8th grader also says she likes it. For HS Swimmer of years 2012‐2014 we discovered they were waiting for bus runs from elementary to be over and pushing back their start times for away meets without any ramification and so I think for most sporting events a later start time will be an adjustment our local competitors will make for us. 1/7/2016 Thanks for taking input I think 5C Secondary is the best option. School starts a little later and gets out a little earlier which I like the best. Please choose this one as I think it is 1/7/2016 the best out of all of these I am so grateful for your work on adjusting the schedules for our kids, making the start time later for the older kids, and shortening the day for the younger kids. I too favor the original 5C option. For my little children (in Kindergarten and 3rd grade), the days have simply been too long. My children are completely exhausted by the time they get home. Their teachers often tell me that the children simply "turn off" around 3pm ‐ that there is no point in trying to continue to teach their elementary students after that time. And yet that is when my 3rd grader has math ‐ when she is completely spent and exhausted. I beg you to please consider making the school‐day shorter for these little kids. Thank you for your time and 1/7/2016 consideration!

The 8 am start time for Elementary and 8:45 am start time for secondary seems to be the most reasonable of the options provided. It might cause fewer to complain about their Kindergartners waiting out in the cold, icy, frigid, dark night for busses; and it would allow the parents of secondary students to have fewer "GET OUT OF BED NOW!" battles. Seems like a win/win to me. As for departure times ‐ 10 minutes either way 1/15/2016 isn't going to make a huge difference in student learning. Go with what makes the most sense logistically. Starting earlier or later isn't an issue for elementary. The problem is that elementary students are in class FAR TOO LONG. Please shorten the 1/15/2016 day by 30‐60 minutes. Anything less would be pointless. Dear MCCSC Board. Thank you very much for extending this opportunity and for expanding the analysis. I strongly support any of the three 5C options 1/15/2016 that begin secondary at 8:30 or later but also end secondary prior to 3:50. I would hope that middle and high school students would be able to be at home BEFORE elmentary students. Some parents count on the older children to watch the younger ones until parents can get home from work. What was wrond with the old start times and release times? I am curious 1/15/2016 as to why those times were not even an option. When I get up at 6:00 in the morning and the sky is pitch black I'm not usually in the best of moods. On a good 'ol 2 hour delay day I feel 1/15/2016 well rested. 1/15/2016 Shorten the day for elementary, at least. Whatever you decide, factor in those who live farthest and have to ride a bus. 1/15/2016 8:00‐2:30 like it used to be. Why on earth did you mess with a good thing? More recess in elementary school. I don't think the issue is really how LONG the day is, but how much time you have for kids to move around 1/15/2016 and have "free time" Select 5C! Children need a predictable schedule and older students need the sleep. This will provide that. Dismal test scores, exhausted children and frustrated attitudes have all been caused by a ridiculously long day and altered start times. Select 5C before you cause any more harm to the children 1/15/2016 in our community!!

My son is a freshman and involved in soccer. Some of the away games (usually on Tuesdays or Thursdays) don't return until 11:00 p.m. or later ‐ then he has to be back at school at 7:30 a.m. By the time he showers (NECESSARY!) he's not in bed until midnight and up at 6:15 a.m. It's too much! You can't expect a kid to concentrate on barely 6 hours of sleep. We encourage our kids to be involved in activities, but sleep is very necessary for them too. I would definitely encourage a later start to the school day, even if it required additional days added to the year. Also have 1/16/2016 them start the same time every day ‐‐‐ the Wednesday idea was just dumb. Our decisions with respect to the school day should be evidence‐based. Let's follow the very strong AAP recommendation that classes for our middle and high schoolers should start after 8:30 a.m. The benefits of our children and families getting enough sleep should outweigh the costs of a variety of administrative issues. I should also mention that starting school a little later means children who choose to cycle or walk to school 1/16/2016 won't have to do so in the dark of early winter mornings; this is the main reason why we stopped cycling to school.

My daughter is @ South. A later start & shorter school day would be ideal as the amount of homework the students are given keeps her busy most afternoons through evening often times making it hard for her to have a balanced day (getting daily exercise for example) and get enough sleep at night. However she (& several of her friends) have expressed the importance of Panther Plus time so her and our family's hope would be that a later start or shorter school day would not jeopardize that time in their school day schedule. She finds Panther Plus valuable in getting work 1/16/2016 done & appreciates the opportunity it gives her to get individualized help from teachers if she were to need it.

My daughter is @ South. A later start & shorter school day would be ideal as the amount of homework the students are given keeps her busy most afternoons through evening often times making it hard for her to have a balanced day (getting daily exercise for example) and get enough sleep at night. However she (& several of her friends) have expressed the importance of Panther Plus time so her and our family's hope would be that a later start or shorter school day would not jeopardize that time in their school day schedule. She finds Panther Plus valuable in getting work 1/16/2016 done & appreciates the opportunity it gives her to get individualized help from teachers if she were to need it.

After reviewing the school day scenarios, I believe choice 5A is the best. This choice has minimal impact on school day length and need for buses. While secondary students are still starting earlier than 8:30am, my own children value the earlier dismissal time more than a later start time. This could be related to their involvement in school sports and our worry that practices will either be before school or will not end until 6pm or later. These 1/16/2016 are both unwanted situations. Thanks for considering changes to the schedule. 1/16/2016 The elementary day needs to be shortened and more recess time needs to be added to our children's day. I have four children who have either graduated in the past few years or are currently in high school. None of them had particular problems with the early starting time. In fact they have had many activities, swim, NHS, student council, Model UN. that require meeting before the school day. For my own family, I am fine with it and mostly just don't want to see the day shortened, except maybe for the youngest children, and that only by a very small amount. I teach in a very well regarded preschool and we have children that stay the same hours as the school day ( many of our parents are your teachers) or even longer ( We are open 7:45‐5:00) These children do alright for that long largely because we involve lots of movement in the classrooms, multiple recesses, and time for educational free play. I really wonder if adding more of these elements wouldn't allow us to keep the longer day, even for the young children, but make it less stressful for them. Like I say we do it daily for 0‐5 year olds. I don't mind changing the start time for the older students if there is a preponderance of evidence that it will be helpful to a significant number of children and if the teachers and staff feel it is worth the change. If we do it I think it needs to be one of the examples that changes it to around 8:30 give or take. Tinkering with 10 min. here or there is pointless. I do think this will be an issue for families with younger children, and I feel bad about that, but I think it is your primary job to do what is best for the EDUCATION of students. Hopefully supports can be added by the community and extended care to help families, and also it would be helpful if you put out a plea to employers to try to bear the load with their employees who might need slight changes in schedules. I think a we're all in this together attitude could go a long way. I also think this will put a strain on after school activities, but having had children in tons of them, I am confident that they will find ways to make it work, even if it is hard. I don't feel that after school jobs are that big of a concern, because there are extremely few jobs available to high school students in Bloomington. College students get the vast majority that high schoolers in other communities would get. Those that are available are open late at night ( Krogers, fast food, restaurants, etc.) so students 1/16/2016 should be just as employable as before. I did not find the link to the scenario's outlined in your Dec 8, 2015 slideshow when posting my original feedback. For the record, I prefer 5c or 1/16/2016 5c+. 1/16/2016 Start 1/2 hour later & release 1/2 hour earlier to allow a better balance. 1/16/2016 I prefer the 5C# option that was presented on 12/8/15. Thank you!

I strongly urge you to consider either 5C or 7. Please please do not put elementary age parents at the mercy of an understaffed extended care situation. Two of the largest employers in Monroe County do not offer flex work hours (contrary to popular belief, it depends on what your position is at IU and what department you work at at Cook to have flex hours). The majority of families in the MCCSC district come from dual income families ‐ middle class families‐ who work a regular 8 am to 5 shift and get home late enough as it is without the children getting enough family time. Not many of us have family who live in the area to help with odd school hours or can afford quality care for our children since they cannot be home alone. Please consider that young families struggle, and if we do not set our children up for success now, we will be paying the price well into the high school years.We are in support of our teenagers and the research of their sleep patterns that were presented late last year. Ideally, it would be a situation 1/16/2016 that would work well for all the ages that MCCSC serves. Since it is obvious that the length of day and start times will change, I recommend 5C+ if that is the route that the board is going. I prefer times that have the elementary students home after the secondary but that doesn't seem to be the route the board will go. Personally I am pleased with the current start times and my children do not have an issue with them. I would like to again voice that changes are made after parents make their tax saver benefit selections. Some families will be hurt by this change as they rely on their older children to be home for child care for their younger 1/16/2016 children. 1/17/2016 School should start after 8:30AM. 1/17/2016 High school is too early and too long a day.

We like the 5C* option the best. It's important to take these community surveys within the context of the overall SCIENCE. When one is a parent of young children, it's hard to imagine what it will be like when they are teens. When one is parenting teens, it's hard to remember the time when they were little. Teens need as late a start as possible and no one needs to start before 8. The littles need a SHORTER SCHOOL DAY. Any time lost will be insignificant in comparison to the goodwill it will engender among teachers, parents, kids and, more importantly, insignificant when compared to the need for kids to play after school. Ask any Kindergarten or 1st grade teacher (who's been around the block) and s/he will tell you that anything after 3 is useless. Those littles are done. Also: I have heard from a kid that the student athletes at South were being told how which scenario to vote for based on athletics ("tell your parents to vote for ‐‐ because")...This athletics‐over‐academics‐and‐students‐well‐being 1/17/2016 dudes have got to cease and desist. So take that into consideration. 1/17/2016 I feel like the school day needs to be shortened. My kids are exhausted every day. I think having secondary students starting later is a wonderful idea. However, I believe elementary students need sleep as well. I would like to see 1/17/2016 Elementary NOT start before 8. Thank you for decreasing the elementary school day.

Of the newer proposals the only one that is reasonable is 5C$. Any of the proposals that put the secondary students getting out later than 3:30 will just create problems for after school activities, jobs, and other obligations. I can imagine that the parents of the younger students will not be pleased 1/17/2016 with this option however since the younger students will be going to the bus in the pitch black and coming home to an empty house. While the length of the school day is an issue in school districts nationwide, Indiana seems to be one of the only states that is struggling with a school start time issue. The reason it's an issue at all is that Indiana has been observing the wrong time zone for decades. And since we started observing DST in 2006, the problem has only gotten worse. The question is: If we were observing Central Time, would the school start time be an issue at all?Indiana is wholly within the geographic boundaries of the Central Time Zone <http://www.hoosiersforcentraltime.com/geography.html>, and had been observing Central Time until the 1960s when television broadcasters and banks pushed to observe Eastern time for their own self‐ interest. But this change caused us to be out of sync with the natural rhythm of the sun.Using Bloomington and today's date (January 17th, 2016) as an example, if we were observing Central Time, noon would be only 4 minutes from true solar noon, but by observing Eastern Time, we are 56 minutes off. Once DST takes effect, the time skew is greatly increased. On July 17th, 2016, noon will be 1 hour and 52 minutes off of solar noon and it won't get dark until 9:41 PM! It's difficult to tell children it's time for bed when there is still daylight. You can tell them to go to sleep, but their bodies follow the sun, not our clocks and watches.Observing Central Time will:* greatly reduce school cancellations and delays in the winter since the extra hour of daylight will give deicing components time to work and allow buses to start more easily.* make it safer for students in the winter since the sun will be up which will make them more easily seen by motorists and they will be more awake themselves.* allow children to sleep and wake according to their own biological clock instead of a arbitrary time decided by Big Business.There is a concurrent resolution making its way through the statehouse that urges the Legislative Council to assign to a special legislative study committee the determination of the time zone or time zones in which Indiana's 92 counties should be located. MCCSC should support this resolution and petition our legislators to move Monroe county back to it's 1/17/2016 original, geographically correct time zone. Scenario 5C seems like the most reasonable one because it achieves the two goals of starting later for all students and shortening the elementary school day. Variations that shift time to earlier are not as good (5C$, 5C@, 5C#). Neither is the variation 5C+ that makes the elementary school day too 1/17/2016 long.Thank you for considering these changes! 1/17/2016 5A

If I had to choose one of the existing scenarios, I would choose Scenerio 5A. I am in favor of eliminating the Wednesday late start. Teachers should be able to meet/prep/plan after the student school day is over. I am also in favor of a later start time. However, a later start time is not only necessary for the older students. I have children ranging in age from Kindergarden to 4th grade and all three of them struggle to get up in the morning. We go to bed by 8pm/8:30pm daily and yet waking by 7pm is still incredibly hard. Therefore, I am NOT in favor of switching the elementary and middle/high schedules. A start time before 8am would be detrimental to any child. Our society does not expect most adults to be at work before 8am, why do we expect our kids to be up and functioning that early? Lastly, I am in favor of a shorter school day all together. I think the previous schedule of 8am‐ 2:30pm and 9am‐3:15pm should have served our children well. We did not need more instructional time. We needed to use our time more wisely and effectively. We need to teach "to the test" less and provide our teachers with more on‐going training as well as more support in the classroom. Teachers should be able to accomplish their goals within a shorter school day. Children need more time outside of the classroom to be 1/18/2016 active, spend time with their families, and learn experientially in other areas. School day is too long and it did not show that because of that they performe better. It is than that we have to do on a top of that, homevork, reading 1/18/2016 and different projects. With activities after scholl it is imposible to do it all. And they are stil kids so they need to play too. I think the original 5C is the best option given. Starting elementary days any earlier than 8am would make the little ones stand in the dark/cold more of a problem in the winter time. I'd also like to suggest the elementary day begin at 8am and end at 2:30pm, which is still a longer day than what 1/18/2016 it used to be in 2010.

I am a firm believer (and in agreement with peds) that kids should not start school before 8am. Furthermore, I think it makes no sense that middle school and high school students who have later extracurricular activities, sports practices and homework should start at such an early time (as they do now) when they clearly go to bed later. Less sleep is detrimental to their growing minds and bodies. Younger children can go to bed earlier and do not 1/18/2016 have the stressors placed on them as teenagers nearing college age. Adequate sleep is vital. I fully support scenarios 5C* and 5C+.

Hello, currently we have two children who must wake up at 6:30 AM to catch their 7:20 AM bus to elementary school. The alternative school start 1/19/2016 times simply switch the secondary students early rise to the elementary students. It does not appear to be a solution.

Thank you for providing the additional scenarios based on 5c, which I feel addresses the concerns of parents of Monroe County and is the only option that address the AMA recommendations for teens!! These variations on 5c should be the only options considered by the committee! While I'd 1/19/2016 probably vote for 5C* or 5C+, I'd prefer any of the proposed 5C variations over the current schedule. 1/20/2016 I like 5c+. I think elementry school shouldn't be too early too. Coming home between 3 and 3:30 is good.

Any of the 5C scenarios would be better than what we have now. I'm the parent of a middle and a high school student who are chronically exhausted, to the point where we give them melatonin to try to get them to sleep earlier and have put them through sleep studies. The chief culprit in their exhaustion appears to be the early start, especially in winter, when the school schedule is particularly out of sync with daylight hours. My kids' fatigue offsets any theoretical benefit from longer instructional hours; my son, in particular, is struggling with attentional issues that are directly related to inadequate sleep. I'd also be willing to see additional cuts in instructional time to preserve the weekly teacher curricular sessions now held on Wednesdays and/or extend teacher prep time. I know my kids will learn more efficiently if they are not exhausted, and that teachers can teach more effectively with adequate compensated time to prepare. Increased instructional hours sound nice, but the current system 1/22/2016 seems to be designed to serve political metrics more than actual learning. 1/22/2016 I like the proposed time swap for elementary and secondary Only scenario 5c makes any sense for high school and middle school students if we are attempting to alter the start time to better reflect teen sleep patterns, but this option also means that elementary school students are out at the bus stop in the dark. That combined with the diminished instructional time is a terrible idea. Our students need to be in school. This is the only place I've ever lived where parents complain about their kids being in school for too long.I'd like to see variations on scenario 6 that have both MS and HS starting at the same time or MS and ES starting at the same time. You might also consider altering the bus routes‐‐do kids who live within 1.25 miles really need to be bussed? How would changing 1/22/2016 the bus rules impact the number of vehicles needed? I believe our youngsters need more time to sleep. I heard some of them have a 5‐6 hours sleeping day regularly. I strongly suggest we postpone the 1/22/2016 school starting time to 8:30 for secondary students and have a more efficient bus routing schedule.

1/22/2016 The option that would work best for many families I believe would be to switch the start times so that secondary would start the school day later.

I like the original 5C proposal. The start time for elementary students is late enough that it will be light out for more days when the kids are getting on the bus or walking to school. I also like that the older students will be able to sleep in longer. I think it is nice that the school day will be a little shorter, particularly for the grade schools. Their attention span is only so long and the school day now is quite long for them. I also think they need more recess 1/22/2016 time, or maybe multiple recesses. Studies have shown that concentration is better when breaks are given.

5a or 5c gets my vote. It is close to what we had before. I am not in favor of the elementary students starting before the secondary students. It 1/22/2016 creates a problem for parents with young children in the afternoons. Older kids can be home by themselves for a short while. Please don't shorten Elementary school day. These young children need to have parents home when they get off of school. Most of your scenarios have Elementary kids getting off by 3pm. What working parent can be home at 3pm? You are going to have lots of young kids home by themselves with a 3pm end time. Conversely most middle and high schoolers can safely be home by themselves after school. This is a big safety 1/22/2016 concern for me.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to share our thoughts. My daughter is a sophomore at Bloomington North and is very active in sports and is a straight A student. It has been very frustrating for her to fit everything in and still get enough sleep at night. It has been proven by doctors that teenagers would do better with a later start. I have attended parent teacher nights and teachers have commented that the students are like 1/22/2016 zombies during first period. Please do away with the Wednesday late days and start school no earlier than 8:00 for high school students. Thank you.

My personal preference would be for the secondary schools to start at 8:15 and end at 3:15, elementary start at 7:35 and end at 2:25. But since that is not an option...I would vote for either 5B or 5C$. I understand that the goal is to use the same buses to transport the kids to elementary the secondary, or vice versa; but the priority should be that the kids get the hours in school they need and the sleep they require. When I went to school, 1/22/2016 all schools started at 8 and ended at 2:30. A six hour day was more than enough to get it all done ‐ and after that amount of time, kids are DONE. 1/22/2016 I think the high school kids should start later. I see nothing wrong with starting later and going longer in the day. Scenario 5C please. I appreciate you taking the time to review feedback. It only makes sense to have the elementary start before the secondary schools. When I was a parent to an elementary school student, the later start made it hard to get your child on the bus if you have to be at work anytime before 9, which a lot of folks do. Now I have a teenager who can't stay awake by Thursday each week. Older kids can wait for the bus by themselves and need time to sleep longer and get a proper breakfast since they have significantly more homework, chores, and activities. Many high school students need to have a job to support themselves or their family, which can make for really late nights to keep up with school. Scenario 5C is the only one that actually gives secondary students more sleep (starting at 755 instead of 740 does nothing, gets elementary schools out earlier 1/22/2016 (and helps their parents get to work on time), AND doesn't need additional buses.

I 100% agree with changing the start times of the school day for our children. As a parent of both elementary and secondary children, I can attest to the detriment the early start time has had on my teenager. These older children need to start their day later, as numerous pediatricians have stated, not before 6 am as they have to now to catch the bus. I particularly prefer the last three scenarios given, 5C, 5C*, and 5C+ because of their start time for elementary (let's not cause a problem there as well, this will be an adjustment of a half hour for these children as well), with my preference 1/22/2016 being 5C* because of the latest start time. Thank you for addressing this very important matter for our children and their futures.

Why would we make our 5 year olds get up and to school before our 13 year olds? If the parents of the highschool kids would be parents and make them go to bed at a decent time then they wouldn't be tired in the mornings. What happens to our highschoolers when they graduate and get in the real world? I don't know of a college or a job that will allow them to sleep in because they are too tired from the night before? How does this prepare them?Most of us parents grew up in the same time period as each other and we survived! Why should our children have it easier? This is what is wrong with society. If there is something that needs to be addressed, why don't we address the fact of the long school days and then the kids come home with work to do. Nothing perterbs me more than getting to school to pick up my child and there are classes out on the playground. Why aren't they using this time to do their "homework" so that they don't have to do it when they get home? I am a working parent, by the time I get home with my daughter, get supper fixed, cleaned up and homework done. All she has time for is bath and bed. Speaking of working parents‐ with the earlier dismissal, what do you suggest we do with our kids before we get home from work? I don't feel it fair to make the working parents pay a babysitter or extended day, so that the older group of kids can sleep in a little longer.Get real people! Let's make our 1/22/2016 kids prepared to take on this big and scary world with the proper parenting and rules!!! As a parent of 2 elementary aged students I can say that the school day is too long and it also goes too late in the day. They get off the bus at 4:30 (tired!), snack, homework, dinner and have little or no time for after school activities. If they do, it gets them going to bed too late. I agree with switching secondary and primary (because secondary stays up later anyway)as well as shortening the length of the school day. Thank you for taking 1/22/2016 input!! 5C@ I disagree with the changes to the school day start times. If the elementary students start earlier, who willBe at home when they are released from school? Many high school students are the babysitters forYounger siblings. With the later middle and high school start, parents will be at work‐ who will guarantee the students makeIt to school? Students in sports will be out later on school nights due to their activities. With the shrinking number of 1/22/2016 students who ride the buses, why can't we start at the same time?

1/22/2016 I believe it would be best for our students if the secondary schools began at a later time. I would support any scenario that achieves this. Thank you! This is my second year in the school system. I have volunteered time and witnessed these children being exhausted. The school hours are to long for elementary especially the kinders. I hope you will revise the school day length. I really liked the hours of 9 to 3:15 for elementary. There have been numerous studies showing that these little ones need their rest. Please consider these children need time to play and to be loved by their families! 1/22/2016 Thank you Kirby PughArlington Heights Elementary School Mom 1/22/2016 I think that the schedule should be left as is. The students can learn to adjust. It seems to me that scenario 5C is the only one that gets close to achieving the goals set forth by this process. Most of the other scenarios only 1/22/2016 produce an nominal change, and certainly not a change that many would feel as solving the problems at hand. I think that moving back the secondary school start time is a good thing. I currently have a 6th grader and a 2nd grader and I have already noticed a shift in my older child's sleep patterns. My younger child still gets tried earlier and wakes up earlier. Thank you for offering this new option as it is 1/22/2016 far better of our children then sending our older kids to school so early.

For the choices given I feel that option 5C# is probably the best choice. Education has taken a wrong turn somewhere and needs to pull back in order to give families time together. I value education greatly but I also value my time with my children. The role of educators is just that, to educate. This schedule provides adequate time for educators. The role of parents is to parent and we need more time with our children. Schools have taken on too much trying to provide an education, values, morals, and various other roles that should belong to parents. The school days are too long and research 1/22/2016 has shown that the older children need a later start time. Our community needs to take a stand and make these changes happen. I do not agree with having the elementary start so early. They are too young to be starting school at 8 am, which means some of the kids will have to 1/22/2016 get up at 6 am??? That's way too early for my young one to be getting up. I really hope it is re‐evaluated. None of these scenarios include an early dismissal day in place of a late start. It would provide protected PLC time, a shorted elementary day, and eliminate morning childcare needs. Extended day would have a higher turn out on that day and could staff accordingly. I strongly oppose any options 1/22/2016 that have elementary ending later than it currently does.

School day currently is too long for elementary students. I agree with research that has found adolescents and teens need more sleep and that their brains are not as active before 8am. The possibility of having middle school and high school start later makes sense to me even though there might be some district growing pains with this change. I also believe our young children will benefit from a shorter day‐‐even those that would have to stay in after‐care. Their "school day" would still end sooner and they can then work on homework, socialize and PLAY! I think MCCSC has a great 1/22/2016 chance here to be leaders in doing what is best for children. 1/22/2016 I prefer the current 2015‐2016 school day times over any of these suggestions. I prefer Scenario 5A first, and then 5B or 5. I think the important goals should be to 1.) decrease the length of day for the Elementary students, 2.) allow a later start for Jr High and High school students, 3.) make certain that the Jr High and High school kids get home ahead of their younger siblings 4.) keep from adding too many more buses (as it appears we are already short on money and drivers). Thank you for your consideration of these 1/22/2016 points. My daughter attends BHSN & I'm in favor of the later school start times. Glad you are seriously considering this for the welfare of the kids 1/22/2016 & their ability to apply themselves more successfully after much needed better nights sleep. I have only a high school student right now but don't see how parents with both secondary and elementary will appreciate this change as it is easier to leave your younger kids with your older kids at home if you have to work. I also can see how it would be easier on my high schooler to be able to sleep later on school days but he would hate getting home later. They have more homework than the younger kids and you would decrease 1/22/2016 the time they would have to do their homework. 1/22/2016 I support a later secondary school day start as long as elementary starts no earlier than 8am. 5C$ seems like the most appropriate for getting secondary more sleep yet keeping a balance for sporting events to still start early enough after school 1/22/2016 to finish at a time which gives the secondary students time to do their homework. Please consider the earlier start time for elementary kids. Most all of us work and cannot afford to find childcare for a later day for us to work. That 1/22/2016 also gives us more time when they get home to focus on homework and family time after school. Thank you.

First, it is so great to see parent voices being heard and the length of the day being reconsidered. After reviewing the schedules, my family likes 4, 5, 5a, & 5b. I feel the older kids getting home after the younger kids could be hard for a lot of working families because they may rely on their older kids being home first and being able to watch smaller ones. I don't like the idea of the little kids going much earlier in the morning just because even though sleep is important for older kids, it's very important for the younger as well. I have one child who gets up early with no problems, yet my youngest is not a morning person, regardless of how early he goes to bed. I realize the Wednesday late start was helpful for the teachers. They do so much for our students and deserve time to meet and plan, but I don't feel it is as beneficial, overall. As a working parent, I'd love to see it disappear. I also think it's important to look at the number of buses needed. It's probably not financially responsible to have a schedule where 25 additional buses are needed. Too many cuts in other areas would be needed to accommodate that. And lastly, we don't 1/22/2016 want to split everything up to where we have multiple start times for example elementary 1 & 2. I feel that is just getting too confusing. With all the research that has confirmed the benefits of a later start date for high school, how can MCCS not change the times? As an educational 1/22/2016 institution scientific evidence should out weigh emotional decisions. This is what we are trying to teach out children. 1/22/2016 We definitely need shorter day and middle schools need later start. I think all kids High School Middle & Elementary should all be in school at same time . High School should go same time as Elementary.Needs to 1/22/2016 go back to the old ways, they need more sleep.

1/22/2016 Starting MS and HS later makes sense for the development of their brain. I am for this change. Making the. Younger kids go early is a wise decision. I agree that middle school and high school kids go to school too early. However, I disagree with the concept of switching the elementary students to the earlier time and having them go into school first. My thoughts are to keep the middle and high school kids going to school first but have them go at 8:00 am. Having the older kids attend later does not prepare them for the real working world that they will enter where your day usually starts at 8:00am or earlier. It will also hampers their after school activities, sports and part time jobs. I think we should go back to the time schedule used prior 1/22/2016 to the last three years. 1/22/2016 I like 5c$ the best, and I like the elimination of the change in Wednesday delayed start. I don't agree with school hrs. at all. It's not like you guys will read this are do anything about it anyway. Why can't you make kids pull up their pants and girls where shirts that cover them. you are worried about hrs. We went to school in another state and the had uniforms... shirts tucked in and belts on. These kids need to have Respect for the teachers,bus drivers, other students, & parents. We need to take back control 1/22/2016 because the who else is going to? High school needs a later start time!In a new policy statement published online Aug. 25 (2014), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends middle and high schools delay the start of class to 8:30 a.m. or later. Doing so will align school schedules to the biological sleep rhythms of adolescents, whose sleep‐wake cycles begin to shift up to two hours later at the start of puberty. ‐ See more at: https://www.aap.org/en‐us/about‐ the‐aap/aap‐press‐room/pages/let‐them‐sleep‐aap‐recommends‐delaying‐start‐times‐of‐middle‐and‐high‐schools‐to‐combat‐teen‐sleep‐ 1/22/2016 deprivation.aspx#sthash.qh9PUmg1.dpuf

I like the last option best. The later the start time, the better. We all need sleep so that we can be productive and thinking people, but particularly the 1/23/2016 kids need it. Stumbling around all day from lack of sleep isn't useful for the kids or for us parents!! Thank you!!!

I believe a later start and current finish time would be best. School days are simply too long for our children. Especially our oldest son is often fatigued from waking early, long days of class, sports after school and home work to cap it off. He is doing well, 3.9 GPA, but simply exhausted. As a former 1/23/2016 home‐schooler our son is always commenting how inefficient many of his classes are and too long. Thank you for looking at ways to better work with the kids natural, biological parameters: later starts for secondary students and shorter days for 1/23/2016 elementary students.

Whichever schedule is selected, please be sure to consider working families and especially those with special needs. Is Extended Day available for 1/23/2016 these new times for ALL students (not currently)? Also the times should be straight‐forward‐‐for example 8:00‐3:00 rather than 8:05‐2:55.

I'm glad to see the additional variations on the 5C scenario. I'm surprised that the original list relied so heavily on the early secondary start with elementary starting later, given all the recent reporting that teenagers are likely to benefit from a later start.As a grandparent of MCCSC students, I think one of the 5C options with secondary students starting later should be selected. Aside from that, I think the costs of the various options should 1/23/2016 be heavily weighed (i.e. whether or not they require additional buses or not) If the school system is going to make a change, they need to make a significant change. Changing the elementary school day by 20 minutes is not going to be enough. MCCSC needs to make the changes that are being displayed to the community and be honest. The inconsistent conversations are concerning to me! I have looked at all the 5 C variations and none of them have elementary ending at 3:30, yet principals have been sharing that 3:30 will be the end time for elementary school next year. This has not been an option that has been presented to our community. Why would MCCSC share options and then choose something totally different. The community is asking that this change be clear, honest, and best for students. My children need to have time to be kids! Any of the 5C variations allow for that if MCCSC will just be fair and choose one of those times and not throw a 1/23/2016 curveball at the end and announce a totally different school day! As a family with two high school students and one elementary student, we have experienced significant struggles in the early start times of secondary school. We would welcome and strongly support switching the elementary and secondary schedules! 1st period attendance, learning, and 1/23/2016 engagement would be significantly impacted for our students. Thank you.

I hope you truly try to fix the length of school day problem that exists in Monroe County. If you are listening to the concerns of parents and educators many of the proposals will be off the table immediately because shortening for any less than thirty minutes does nothing. It does nothing for the children that struggle because you made a terrible decision to the lengthen the school days a few years ago. I hope you realize that anything less than thirty minutes doesn't erase the problem, it may silence it momentarily but then this discussion will take place again in a few years. Correct the 1/23/2016 problem so we can focus on more important decisions regarding our children's education. My daughter is in high school and she does just fine when she gets up early.ba lot of high schoolers are involved in activities and jobs so if they get get 1/23/2016 out of school later, that will make it more difficult for tham

1/23/2016 Scenario 5C (original) is the best option (with late Wednesday elimination).• Elementary hours 8:00‐2:45• Secondary hours 8:45‐3:50 Dear all,Scenario 5C looks amazing, with all variations being acceptable on my part. I like the effort to match the start time to Association of 1/23/2016 Pediatricians hours. Nothing hurt me more than seeing my underslept son.

I believe the school day should be shorter than it currently is. It is too long for elementary students. Also I do not think elementary stating earlier is a good idea . I think that this would be difficult to middle and high school students to travel for sports getting out at close to 4. Also they may not be able to have a job as many high school students need not getting out early. Finally many elementary students go home to older siblings and would be 1/24/2016 home alone or have to spend many hours in after school care since most adults don't finish work at 2:00. I am happy that the Board and Dr. DeMuth are taking a look at these issues. It is my hope that the result will not be a mediocre token gesture. With the referendum pending (which I very much support and am happy to pay my part of), the last thing the community wants to see is a 10‐15 minute adjustment to the elementary or secondary school day. If you do these changes, please do them well. Truly shorten the elementary day and truly make the move for secondary students so they can get some sleep. The welfare of students (sleep, time to play) and the support for the referendum 1/24/2016 hang on these actions. Thank you. I would like to state my support for variation 5C, particularly the variation with the latest start times: elementary beginning at 8:05 and secondary beginning at 8:50. I believe anything that can be done to move start times later is move in the right direction. Secondary schools should be starting later than elementary schools. Ideally all schools would start at the same time, with enough buses for all students to arrive and leave at the same time, 1/24/2016 elementary and secondary. I believe that the current schedule is too long for elementary aged children. I prefer the 5C$ schedule and think it is optimal because it allows children who wake up early to be at school when they are ready to learn and allows that older children to sleep a little longer, which is something that they 1/24/2016 desperately need. 1/24/2016 I approve 5c+ 1/24/2016 I approve 5c+ 1/25/2016 I like the way it is, but am flexible. You are all doing a great job. Thanks!

The elementary schedule needs to start as late at possible. I already have trouble getting my kindergartner and second‐grader on the bus at 7:50 for an 8:35 start. Even starting at 8:05, they will have to get on the bus at 7:20! This WILL result in kids that are too tired, maybe haven't had breakfast, and need rest time in the afternoon. It will also result in additional hours in "after‐care" after school.It's not that I disagree that the older kids could use some extra time in the morning. But, I find it highly unlikely that reversing the schedules will actually help their education, performance, test scores, etc. Kids who participate in after school activities will get home later because they will be starting later ‐ especially late games or matches. And the students who go to school early to get work done will continue to do so, and the early start obviously isn't hurting their grades or test scores. I say, leave the times the way they are. High school kids need to learn to suck it up and get their stuff 1/25/2016 done. They are coddled too much as it is. This will be just another example of us treating them like babies. 1/25/2016 I would like to put in my vote for Scenario 5C with preference given to the variation with the latest start times.

The rumor is there will only be 15 minutes shaved off the length of the elementary day, and PLC will be taken away from Wednesday morning. This basically balances out anything taken off! First, the day is too long for the little ones. The last hour of the day is dealing with behavior issues brought on by tired kiddos. Secondly, the PLC time for teachers has been valued so much by our staff. We love this time to plan for assessments and talk 1/25/2016 about the needs of our students. If a change is going to be made in elementary, please make it count! At least 30 minutes.

First, no age should be starting before 8:00am, ever. This is just deeply harmful to our children's health, even the younger ones. Second, the school day must be shorter and strict limits to extra curricular activities on school nights must be included to make any schedule change truly helpful. Look at Finland ‐‐ their school day is much shorter than ours, they have longer lunches and more recess, yet their children are far more academically advanced than ours. For instance, activities should never be allowed to end later than 9:00pm on a school night for any age group, even high school. Also, extra curricular should not be allowed to meet for more than three hours total on a school days, and before school practices should be banned completely. Currently, some activities are requiring 5+ hours on a given day, damaging the sleep patterns and health of these students, even if they do maintain "good grades." Everything the schools do needs to consider the whole child, not just academics, and always in the context of 1/25/2016 their families and homes first and foremost. Going through the proposal I applaud you for taking into consideration that those working in the MCCSC secondary schools might need child care provided if they have elementary aged children. This is true for most of our community. Coordinating the elementary school day with the most 'standard' working hours for parents in the community would go a LONG way toward assisting not only the parents who can't afford to pay for care after or before school, but would also ensure that the youngest in our communities are safe and productive during the hours when their parents might not be available due to work.Secondly, anything that can be done to eliminate the late start Wednesday should be done. It was a folly to begin with and continually complicates matters for employed parents. Offering free care during that time was a nice step, but for parents who rely on the bus to get their children to school it's a massive hardship. Not all of us have the ability to drive our children to school, or even a car 1/25/2016 for that matter. Please make it simple if it's possible. 1/25/2016 it is way too long...start late or end early

Thank you for considering the opinions of parents in the decision process for MCCSC school schedules. I support schedule 5C+ for the reasons that it provides a shorter day for our youngest children, and a later start for adolescent/teens, with health/sleep advantages for both groups. I believe it is crucial that the school day is shortened for our youngest children‐‐K through 2nd‐‐as it is now, a kindergartner has the same length day as a senior in high school, an unrealistic expectation for a five‐year old child. Also of significant concern to me as a parent, is provision of ample time in the school day schedule for recess, a necessary means to physical health, mental acuity, refreshment throughout the day, and fostering a healthy community among students. Without ample necessary physical exercise and fresh air, our children are expected to perform without ample rest/refreshment, 1/26/2016 resulting in high levels of stress, mental strain, poor productivity, and behavior issues. As a parent of a Kindergarten student in MCCSC, I feel strongly that "Scenario 5C" is the strongest choice for the proposed school‐day schedule. This scenario offers instructional time that most‐closely matches the current schedule, while still shortening the elementary day, and allowing secondary students to start later in the morning. This scenario considers our bus shortage situation by eliminating one bus. The only downside would be the 69 hours lost by the primary students; however, this only equates to less than 20 minutes a day, which can easily be shifted 1/26/2016 around in order to not lose instructional time.

It is well documented that younger people need more rest yet our school day has our most needy sleepers rising well before most adults and working adult hours. The answer is not sending our students to bed earlier because this is not an option due to the amount of homework, extra curriculer activities (shown to aid in cognitive development and a needed element on college apps) the need to simply decompress and heaven forbid spend some quality time with family. The answer is a shorter day every day. It has been documented that 4 hours is sufficient to fully engage students and 1/26/2016 that that time results in greater learning. Simply our students are exhausted and the 7 hour day is causing it. Please take in to consideration that our current schedule of 8:35‐3:50, teachers are with students from 3:20‐4:00. When the new schedule is being 1/26/2016 developed please incorporate that extended time before and after school in the schedule. 8am to 3p.m. would work best for our family! We are both working class parents with 4 children in elementary school .a cheaper after school 1/26/2016 program would definitely help out with children getting out earlier I prefer 5A and 5B. It makes sense to start elementary a little later at 8:40am, and it makes sense to start secondary later at 8am. A combination of 5A and 5B could create another option (maybe called 5D) which would be elementary from 8:30‐3:30pm and secondary from 8am‐3:30pm. Another option could be (maybe called 5E) that elementary is from 8:50am ‐ 3:30pm and secondary is from 8:10am ‐3:30am. In Madison, Wisconsin the local school district uses city buses for some secondary routes to help make sure that the school day times work for children and not start too early in the morning. I don't think it is a good idea to have any of the schools start earlier than what they do now for 3 reasons 1) It is very dark early in the morning and elementary school children can't walk to school or stand at bus stops in the dark. 2) It is very cold early in the morning and 3) Many 1/27/2016 children have to be woken up for school. Kids needs their sleep, and I don't think starting the day earlier for any age group is a good idea. The school start time is less important than length of day. The day is exhausting for students and teachers. Teachers need time within a workday to complete tasks that can't be completed with students. The length of day has restricted my children from extra‐curricular activities. I have also seen an increase in anxiety in my children. They have time to do homework, eat, bathe, and then, it is bedtime due to the early start. My husband and I are both disappointed in the lack of downtime for play and relaxation. I would suggest shaving time off the beginning of the day to allow a later start 1/27/2016 and shorten the day.

Regardless of the exact schedule the school day must be shortened by 45 minutes. These long days a causing my kids to hate school and they are only in 1st and 4th grade. They constantly come home telling me how tired they are and that they never get to be at home because they are at school so long. Then once they are at home I am supposed to make them do homework?! I have been seriously considering moving my children to charter schools just because of the long day. I love the schools they are in and I love the teachers but the long day is ridiculous! Plus, when do our children learn to play and use their imagination? During a 5 minute brain break? No, after school when they get to run around outside with friends. When do they get to play sports or learn and instrument? I am not going to put them in programs that end at 8:30/9 pm otherwise they will just be more 1/27/2016 exhausted. Seriously, the day must be shortened. 8:15‐3 is plenty of time for a 5 year old to be at school. Please do not take away late start Wednesday. Teachers need it. It is a valuable time that is needed. If taken out, teachers will find a way to skip it or have reasons for missing from one week to the next. Also, taking it away while only shortening the day a little does nothing to make our length of day more comparable to other districts around the state. It is not brag worthy to say "we have one of the longest school days in the state." Fix the mistake that happened when we adopted this schedule a few years ago. We owe it to the kids. They are kids and should not have a 7 plus hr day. Teachers deserve a chance to teach without kids needing brain breaks every 10 or so minutes after 2 o'clock. Let's step up and actually put 1/27/2016 the kids first. My top choice would be scenario #5A. I am 100% against Wednesday late starts. I feel that younger children need consistency and routine in their schedules, and that many teenagers are sleep‐deprived. Another issue that seems to take a back seat is the effect on the family as a whole. The current weekly schedule has produced more headaches and stress for my family than I can possibly outline here. As an aside, the National Sleep foundation guidelines indicate that teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. Most teens do not get enough sleep — one study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on school nights. I think that any supposed "benefit" of the late start Wednesday and the increase in school hours is considerably outweighed by the negative factors outlined above. I'm not sure how our children are supposed 1/27/2016 to function well on a daily basis given the above factors. 1/28/2016 This delayed start would be a nightmare for working parents.

As an MCCSC employee and parent, I just want to say that the third survey that was sent out this week made me pause. Why can't 30 minutes be taken off the day in ALL of the areas in the second question of the survey but in smaller chunks? 10 minutes off of prep. 10 minutes off of intervention times. 5 minutes off of specials. 5 minutes off of other subject areas. I am hoping that is the intent of admin. Specials are the reason some kids make it through the day and love school. Social studies and science are what make some students feel accomplished and also back up math and language arts. I just want to urge that shaving a few minutes off of several areas is a better choice for our children. Thank you for listening to the community and 1/28/2016 employees about the school day. Is there not a reason that we can't go back to the schedule we had before the school day was increased? Maybe add only 10 minutes to that day 1/28/2016 and then flip flop secondary and elementary start times?

I believe our school system and community take pride in basing our actions on research. We use data to drive our decisions. Since the MCCSC task force has studied the research, I don't wish to belabor the benefits of a later start time for our high school–aged teens. Therefore, my question for the task force and members of our school board is: Why wouldn't we follow the research, as other school systems in the nation have, to get as close 1/28/2016 as possible to a schedule to support our secondary students? I support 5C* Secondary 8:50 AM 3:55 PM.

1/28/2016 I favor scenario 5c$ as it accomplishes many of the sought after changes and is least onerous in terms of lengthened day for secondary students. Longer school day does not mean more learning. Please listen to teachers who are in the classrooms. They know best and we should listen to these 1/28/2016 professionals. I hope they feel comfortable and not threatened to share their opinion. 1/28/2016 I agree that secondary schools should start later.

I see a repeat of the original change in the school day. The teachers were asked to complete a survey. The survey asked if teachers wanted to add 15 min, 30 min, or 45 min to our school day. The survey did not include ONE HOUR and then the new school day was an hour longer. I am not sure how this information gets so misinterpreted. I really hope that this does not happen again.. Please choose one of the options that you have displayed on 1/28/2016 the MCCSC webpage. This is what the community is expecting! Don't blindside the teachers, students, parents, and community again. 1/29/2016 I believe the school day starts to early and the days are to long. High school students would benefit greatly by a later start. 1/29/2016 I would like to say that a later start would benefit students greatly!

I think starting elementary students any earlier than 8:30 is a very bad idea, our children are exhausted by Friday and the school day is too long, mccsc students attend school longer than any other schools in this area, I am for a shorter day and the high schoolers need to get use to a early schedule to 1/29/2016 prepare for college and jobs. Please shorten the day for our children and not make 5‐6 year olds get to school at 8 am.

1/29/2016 I am pleased to see the elimination of the late start day and the earlier start time for elementary students and I most like option 5C# or 5C.

I do not think the elementary needs to start before 835. My son is already out at the bus at 755am and at this time of year it is just getting light. I personally think that the school day that the elementary has now is way too long!! If the secondary schools start later this will put them getting out of school later and therefore push back the time that afterschool activities can start. When I was in school the secondary started before the elementary 1/29/2016 and everyone turned out just fine. Please just keep the schedule the way it is or go back to the previous schedule without Wednesday late start. 1/29/2016 8:45 to 3:50 pm for the secondary school works very well. This is scenario 5C w/additional time added. Shortening the school day will not decrease instruction time. Teachers do not need to give up teaching time, they can give up: extra recess, 2nd snack 1/29/2016 breaks, brain breaks and lots of time spent disciplining over tired, fully saturated kids. 1/29/2016 Secondary students need to start later than they have been starting. I'm fine with all the scenarios bc start 8:30 or after. 1/29/2016 Scenarios 4 or 5 seem reasonable What I like about the 5C schedules: Young children need time to play and explore their world. An earlier start time means an earlier dismissal time giving children daylight time to play. As older students become more social and experimental, they could potentially spend less time unsupervised after school with a later dismissal. What I like about the current schedule: The longer school day allows my children to do practice work at school. The late start day on Wednesday gives us a morning during the week where we are not so rushed and can just slow down from our fast paced lives.There are certainly pros and cons for all schedules. I trust that the staff and board for MCCSC will look at all options and determine the best schedule for our 1/29/2016 students and dollars. I have 3 kids, in elementary and high school. They have lived through all versions of the schedule. Let me say first of all that none of them have ever shown signs of exhaustion because of the longer school day! They are full of energy. Please don't give in to people whose kids whine that they are tired ‐ those kids are playing into their parents' fears. My kids are "tired" when there are things they don't want to do, and full of energy when they want energy. Second, let me say that I have noticed a big dropoff in the amount of homework assigned by elementary school teachers ever since the longer school day went into effect. The rationale (as expressed to me by a teacher) is that because they are in school longer, they don't want to "burden" the kids with homework. This negates the utility of the longer day! Or, if the point is that this way the teachers can monitor this work themselves, rather than relying on parents to monitor homework, then that is a very STRONG argument in favor of the longer day, because it allows more students to do more supervised work. Having teachers give up on parental supervision of homework is kind of sad, though. The feature of the new schedule that is the most pernicious is the late start on Wednesdays. It is very hard to get kids to go to bed on weeknights, and it is MUCH harder when the wake‐up time differs during the week. If there is a consistent bedtime on school nights, then that is MUCH better for the kids. PLEASE, PLEASE get rid of late Wednesdays! Finally, on the question of high‐schoolers sleeping later. Yes, they don't go to bed early, and they get less sleep if they have to wake up at 6:15. I think they should go to school later. However, I really would not want elementary‐age kids going out to the bus stop in the dark. It would be horribly dangerous. So, you can't change the elementary times. Oh well. My high‐schoolers get themselves to school and seem to do fine. The way these scenarios are presented make it pretty difficult to understand. Scenario 4 looks o.k.. I am only in favor of the ones that eliminate late start. But I certainly don't think the secondary school day should be shorter, and I don't want to shorten elementary either, so I don't like most of the others. Why can you only start the secondary schools 1/29/2016 later if you drastically shorten their day? 1/29/2016 Preference: 5C or 5C+ I do not think it is a good idea to switch the younger kids to early start times and the older kids to later start times. I do not want my young child 1/29/2016 waiting for the bus in the dark. I strongly feel the middle school/high school current start time is much too early and they get out of school too early as well. These children are at the age that unsupervised time could lead to so many problems and getting out of school by 3:00pm gives the majority of them at least two hours of "unsupervised" time before their parents get home from work. My vote, out the scenarios given, is 5C. I have four children and they are 1/29/2016 of preschool/elementary age currently. So the elementary students feel done with school at 3:15. You can see it in any elementary classroom. That's why the day should be shortened 30‐35 minutes. so teachers can teach when students can effectively learn. If the teacher day were to remain the same and the student time we're shortened that would give teachers some automatic prep time each day and or could be used for PLCS. and that would also mean specials could be shortened just a little bit to make up the rest of teacher prep time. It would have been nice to have a comment box like this on the other 1/29/2016 surveys that were sent to staff. Please keep in mind athletic practices for MS/HS....coaches have already told my three high school aged children if we have a later start school day: 8:30 a.m. or later, practices will be held starting at 5:30‐ 6 a.m. in the morning. How is this helping sleep times, not to mention studying habits? What all of this, in my mind boils down to is this: if parents would parent and make children go to sleep at appropriate times, as my husband and I do for my 1/29/2016 four children, we wouldn't have these issues. Wednesday late start needs to be eliminated.

1/29/2016 I feel the secondary schools should begin later than Elementary. The older kids are up later and don't go to bed until late. I vote for 5C!!!! I don't feel that it is in the best interest of elementary school parents to have to get their young children up an hour earlier than they do now, so 1/29/2016 if a change must be made then the original 5C schedule would be the best option.

I feel that the 8:30 or later start is too late for secondary. It will not be time gained but time to sleep in. 8:00am start time would be more adequate 1/29/2016 for secondary. The Elementary day needs to be done after the secondary for older siblings to be home to recieve younger siblings. Many studies have shown that high school students learn better with a late start time. I am in favor of an 8:30 am start. High school students should not go to school in the morning in the dark. My daughter is a transfer student to MCCSC this year; her previous high school started at 8:30 am. She 1/29/2016 was more focused and better rested. Thank you.

1/29/2016 I do not think that changing the start time is necessary, it will cause more of a headache for the working parents of elementary students.

The school board is considering shortening the elementary day. I am grateful for this consideration. However, the process seems skewed to a preferred result. The committee is holding on to shortening the day a mere 15 minutes, and taking away Wednesday late start, which will effectively cancel each other out.Thus far, the committee has given three surveys to MCCSC teachers. This last survey indicates that most teachers agree the day should be shortened 30‐45+ minutes. The survey then essentially asks what will you stop teaching your students to make up for all this lost time? Four 'check the box' categories are given.Teachers agree that the day should be shortened by 30‐45+ minutes. Teachers are saying that the length of the day is negatively impacting learning. It is insulting to infer that teachers have not considered what they can appropriately cut from the academic day. If the committee asks less leading questions, it might learn that teachers believe kids will learn more if the day is shortened.We have necessary waste in our school day. Most teachers are giving kids considerable time to complete homework and working in lots of 'brain breaks' to get through the long days. By shortening the day, the need for this waste will decrease.The person who frames the issue usually wins the argument. I am frustrated by the leading questions and the inability to confront the length of day issue objectively. Framing the question frequently leads to the desired answer. Thank 1/29/2016 you for your service and for addressing this important issue.Best,Stephanie Moore 1/29/2016 The day is too long. My elementary school students come home completely spent. I support any of the 5 C schedules with the secondary students having a later start time. This is in line with the research on the teenage brain and their 1/29/2016 sleep cycles. Please do not get rid of Wednesday late start. It is the only opportunity for the kids to recover and for the teachers to do prep at a reasonable time. 1/29/2016 Please shorten the elementary day by 30 minutes. Anything less would have no real impact. I think that the present schedule is working great and should be continued. Now the students have more time to finish schoolwork sometimes in 1/29/2016 school. 1/29/2016 I prefer scenario 5c+.

I personally think that the current elementary school day is too long. Kids desperately need some down time and family time. It's practically bed time by the time they get home if they have an after school activity. We have a daughter that will be in kindergarten next year and that's just too much for a five year old. Kids still need time to be kids, that's a very important part of their learning process also. But, I don't think you are doing any favors by starting school earlier either. Kids also need their sleep to perform well. Why not just shorten the day by a 1/2 hour and keep the 1/29/2016 same start time?? Late start on Wednesdays is great though!

I believe that the school day start time should be no earlier than 8:30. Many studies show that having a start timer earlier than 8:30 has detrimental 1/30/2016 effects on learning, health, and safety. Please honor your mission statement and your values and push the start time back.

I still worry that shortening the school day will mean a harder day for students. The same material needs to be covered and there will be less time to cover it. I just hope this does not lead to less time for recess (one of the most necessary components for school success), lunch, music, art, PE. I also worry that letting out early will mean more kids coming home to an empty house or more kids signing up for after school. From my experience as a preschool teacher, I have seen that when parents add time after school they use it. For example a parent that could previously adjust their schedule to make it home in time to meet the bus at 4:15, now signs up for after school and no longer adjusts their workday and does not need to rush home now picks their child at 5:15 or later. Resulting in a much longer day for their child. And that longer day has less down time as teachers tried to fit in all the instructional time they can. I am completely behind later start times. I suggest 8:15 for elementary and 9 for secondary (keeping in mind that the secondary bus schedule begins at least an hour before the start time. In keeping the length of the school day as is with more time to move, I 1/30/2016 recommend more recess or down time and the release time no earlier than 3:30 for elementary.

Pediatricians have said that high school students would benefit from a later start and I believe that is true. My child is very active in sports and tries to 1/30/2016 excel in her studies. The school day starts way to early and is too long. Thank you for considering changing. It has been a long three years. I think a later start in the morning and a shorter school day would benefit the students greatly. It would allow them to stay awake during class and 1/30/2016 focus during the school day more. I very much agree that it is important to start the day later for secondary students. However, I would like to do so without having the elementary school day start before 8 a.m. I also think it's important not to reduce the hours in school by too much. My preferred scenarios, in order of preference are: 5C+ with additional time added5C* (8:05 elementary and 8:50 secondary start time)5C5C#5AI would reject scenarios 1‐4 and scenarios 6‐7 because they do not offer a late enough start time for secondary students. I would prefer continuing the current schedule over these schedules, since in many cases they would increase the number of buses required and also reduce the school day without offering any significant benefit. In scenario 6‐7 the secondary school day would start too early.I would reject 5B because it cuts too many hours from the elementary school 1/30/2016 day.Thank you.

I vote for 5C*.Because research suggests that elementary school children should have at least 10 hours of sleep/night, this start time would make it possible for an elementary school child to have 10 hours of sleep if they went to bed at 8:20pm and got up to get ready for the bus at 6:20am. 1/30/2016 Adolescents need 9 hours/night, so this choice would make it possible for them to go to sleep at 10pm and get up at 7am to prepare for the bus.

I am really in favor of a later start time for secondary students. It fits better with their body clocks and will give us more family time in the evenings. The five minute differences in start times are pretty trivial, but I would note that a start before 8:30 would give working parents time to drop kids off 1/30/2016 and still make it to work by 9. Thanks for all your flexibility on this issue‐‐‐it will make a big difference for kids! We were very disappointed when we saw the first set of schedule scenarios since only one complied with the American Association of Pediatrics recommendation that high school start no sooner than 8:30am. We are therefore pleased that additional scenarios conforming to that standard were subsequently posited. These are the only scenarios worth considering.Two things should be noted as the new schedule is planned:1. The current secondary schedule starts too early for teenagers and the elementary schedule makes for days that are too long for younger children, resulting in exhaustion for all students.2. As the recent Herald‐Times series attested, there are currently 5‐10 minutes of wasted time at the beginning and end of high school classes.Much of the problem could therefore be addressed by simply reducing the length of the school day. Given the current level of student exhaustion and the wasted time in the high school schedule, doing this would not negatively impact learning outcomes.With the above in mind, the ideal schedule with no addional buses would be:1.Elementary: 8:15‐2:152.Secondary: 9:00‐3:30This would achieve the objecves noted above and has the added benefit of not forcing younger children to be waiting for buses in the dark.The scheduling problems are compounded by the need for staggering the start and stop times of elementary and secondary schools due to the limited number of buses available. While it would take significant funding to change that, if you specifically stated you were asking for funds for that through the referendum, you would receive substantial support. It would be recognized as a strategic funding request designed to solve a problem that is negatively impacting student learning and health.Of the schedule alternaves posited, the one that comes closest to the ideal described above is 5C:1.Elementary 8:05 AM‐2:55 PM2.Secondary 8:50 AM‐3:55 PMIf we had to vote for one of the proposed scenarios, this is the one we would choose. But a reduced length of school day and additional transportation funding would make better alternatives possible.Some have said that there will be substantial opposition from athletic coaches to high schools having a later release time. This should not be treated as a serious consideration though as school should always be primarily about academics and improving student learning.There is great dissatisfaction in the community with the current schedule, so it is essential that you address this problem in a comprehensive way that takes into account the concerns expressed. Given that the current schedule was established after the last referendum, with a new referendum coming up, this would be an ideal time to listen to concerns and design an effective solution that shows you listened, as it would naturally increase support for a new funding request. Failure to do so will, we believe, potentially contribute to the new 1/30/2016 referendum failing. An earlier start time for Wednesdays at 8:35 would be prefer to the staggered late start time for the school district. With two working parents the 1/30/2016 current staggered start time is very difficult to manage. I think that the late start time for Wednesdays is ridiculous. Ever since this schedule began in this school system, I have honestly only remembered probably 10 times or less. I have gotten up, woken my child, and then later realized that we were up too early. My child is old enough that I could go on to work at the normal time, but had he been younger, this would have been a hardship and huge inconvenience on Wednesdays. I understand the usage of the time for the teachers, but I feel that they could stay an hour later one day a week, and let everyone start school at the same time every 1/30/2016 day.

It would be helpful if comments and suggestions from those in elementary postions were taken seriously. Let's keep the start time the same and 1/30/2016 end at 3:30 or 3:35. That would be minor changes and the most helpful. WEDNESDAY late start is great! It gives the kids one day to sleep in. the only scenario that meets the needs of the secondary students is 5C. I understand that these scenarios were designed to meet a variety of goals, but that is the only one that takes the needs of teens seriously. 5C looks good to me, so perhaps the one scenario is adequate. If there are objections to it, then I think it would be worth going back to the drawing board to develop additional scenarios that take the recommendations of the American 1/30/2016 Academy of Pediatrics seriously. The proposals look great! I can't wait to see which one is chooses. This will be a very welcomed change for our community! Thanks for keeping 1/30/2016 the community in the loop and being honest and up front with the changes being made!

When I was growing up I went to middle school and high school from 7:30 AM until 2:30 PM which left time for extracurriculars to start at 3 o'clock be home in a decent time for dinner and still have time for homework. I don't understand these late start times for kids that have more activities going on then an elementary student. Also I have a little girl going to kindergarten next year and I know I will have difficulty getting her to school that early. Ever since you implemented this longer school day starting earlier my oldest who is now 11 has complained about school and my second‐grader doesn't want to do any homework by the time he gets home. The school day is too long for these elementary students it's 1/30/2016 not making school enjoyable for them at all and it leaves no time hardly for extracurricular activities. 1/30/2016 start at 8:35 and end at 3:50 for secondary

Dear MCCSC,Thank you for taking time to look at the school day. I understand that one of the concerns you are trying to address is the current length of the day and the fatigue students (especially elementary) are experiencing. I strongly support shortening the school day to help prevent student fatigue and I am concerned that the current 5C options do not effectively address this. 5C reduces the the time in school by 9 hours over the school year. This equates to just 3 minutes less per day. This really does not seem to address this concern at all. It would seem that if we wish to address this issue that we should be adopting a schedule like the one below:Elementary ‐ 8 am ‐ 2:30 pm (like Carmel and Lawrence Township Schools)Secondary ‐ 8:45 am ‐ 3:30 pm (to allow children to participate in after‐school activities)I do strongly support switching the Elementary 1/30/2016 and Secondary start time so I am glad to see this being addressed.Thank you,John TweedieFather of 4th and 2nd grade children at Childs School

1/30/2016 I think the school day should be shorter. The istep has shown that then results were worst with longer day. Kids need more time to rest.

Thank you for considering to adjust school hours. I am broadly in favor of (1) shortening the school day for ALL grades and (2) delaying the start of the school day for secondary school. In contrast I think it would be worth considering starting elementary school earlier but only if this means the day also ends earlier. My rationale is as follows: point 1) there comes a point where more hours in school does not mean more hours spent learning effectively. I feel we are well past that point, especially given how little time is devoted to recess and PE. point 2) Middle and High school starts much too early. It is a simple as that. please pay attention to the scientific consensus that exists on the topic. point 3) At least from my personal perspective starting 1/30/2016 elementary school earlier AND ENDING IT EARLIER would be worth trying. I believe that scenario 2 will be the best for students for several reasons. Science has proven that (MS/HS) students start their day too early. The late Wednesday start is best for the students because it allows the staff time that is needed collaborate and prepare for the students. I also strongly believe that the students will benefit from a shorter school day. My son is fried by the end of his school day and then is expected to go home and do homework. My son goes to Batchelor Middle School and they are doing an amazing job. But more doesn't always mean better. I think they will 1/30/2016 still be successful with a shorter school day.

The current day is too long! Ridiculous actually. Not sure why jr high & high school can't start at 8 am as they did 5 years ago. I think elementary getting out earlier than high school causes other problems. Everything has been a mess since all the changes started 5 years ago. I have been to multiple meetings & sent many emails so my opinion has been expressed and is the same as so many in this community. Hopefully 1/30/2016 MCCSC will listen this time around. I'm assuming it's a possibility for some positive change since there's a referendum vote at stake. 5A looks like the best option to me. The HS kids get to sleep in a little bit longer and yet get out early enough for extracurricular activities not to go 1/30/2016 too late into the evenings. Also, the elementary kids will get home earlier also. A win‐win situation. 1/30/2016 9‐3:15 8‐2:30

A change in the school schedule would be a disaster for my family. I have a high schooler and a kindergarten student. If my younger one is off school earlier than the older one, I have no choice but to do before and after school. That means she would be at school for nearly 11 hours every day. I don't know about you, but I find it really difficult to work 11 hours five days a week, and I'm an adult. Right now at least my son is home so she can rest and relax away from school until I get home from work. Her learning will back slide from exhaustion because we all know what happens to tired kids.Behaviors of her as well as the other young kids that have to do this will be a nightmare for the teachers to deal with. I really doubt I'm 1/30/2016 the only one with this concern, and I hope you take this into consideration for us as well as others in the school district. Research in areas of education show that younger students need less time of instruction and older students need later start times. We need to follow the lead of experts in this area and not try to constantly reinvent the wheel. Squeezing g the day on both ends for both elementary and secondary addresses the concerns. It will not effect busing or the concern for young children waiting at bus stops in the dark. Keep it simple aND use research to 1/30/2016 make informed decisions. Please don't have elementary kids start any earlier than they already do! Both the earlier start time and the earlier release time would difficulties to each end of the day! As things are, I'm able to work or take classes until 3:30 and be home in time to meet my child after school. As a single mom, I try to avoid having to pay for childcare when possible. This is my personal situation but I think an earlier release time will cause scheduling 1/31/2016 problems for a lot of elementary parents. 1/31/2016 I strongly support any of the 5c scenarios. It is very important to start the secondary school day later. The school day for mccsc appears to be the longest in the state! Why?!?! My children get home from school at 4pm they need to be in bed at 8pm. They are losing out on valuable family time and extra curricular activities. Not to mention that my SECOND grader has an hour of homework every night. I know it may sound a bit wild but the only way the amount of time may be acceptable is if the teachers do not assign homework. Also I don't believe it's acceptable to start our kids as early as secondary. It is not safe for them to wait for the bus or walk to school in the dark!! Can mccsc please please put the health and safety of our children before all else!!!! What is going on now and some of these new proposals are 1/31/2016 unacceptable for our kids. You need to add more buses to have a more balanced school schedule between elementary and secondary. Secondary should be 8‐2:55pm or 3pm and elementary 840‐3:35pm. This requires more buses. If I had to choose from the 5C options, I would pick the original 5C. I would switch secondary to 8‐2:50pm and elementary 8:45‐3:50pm but would end elementry at 3:40pm instead of 3:50pm. The current day is too long for young kids! Another option is 8‐255pm and 8:45‐3:45pm (45 minutes in am and 50 minutes in pm). I would prefer younger kids starting later but it could work with elementry at 8pm. Elementry kids would have to catch the bus at 7:25am and Secondary at 7am. This is better than 6:40am which it the current time in our neighborhood for secondary. Better yet, redistrict the kids on the east side to go to Jackson creek and south. Then the bus rides would be 1/31/2016 shorter!!!! Wednesday late start benefits both students and teachers. Please keep the Wednesday late start. It gives kids a chance to catch up on sleep and 1/31/2016 teachers need that prep time. As a parent with children in both elementary and secondary schools, I agree that later start for secondary students is needed. I would be most in favor 1/31/2016 of the 5C or 5C+, but any of the variations would improve upon current scheduling. I believe the choice of 5C or 5C+ is the best option. I hope that more recess or play time or break time in general will be available to the younger 1/31/2016 children, especially kindergarten.

The school day is too long! Cutting it 20 minutes is not enough!The old formula worked!9:00am‐3:15am elementary 8am‐2:30 secondary The only adjustments to this might be:9:15am‐3:308:15‐2:45Social Studies can definitely be taught and integrated into the language arts block in elementary school. Science readings can also happen in the language arts block ‐ for those worried about any mandated 90 minutes of reading block and the loss of time for science and social studies! A meaningful curriculum integrates subjects in a wholistic way! Give teachers the chance to be artists again!Listen this time! Kids are tired! Stop believing more time at school is better! It is not! Teachers are tired! The joy and artistic talents if teachers are being stifled by exhaustion!Parents and teachers have had enough! Faith in this school system is also at stake! There's a referendum coming up and many concerned parents and community members will not support a school system that ignores what's best for students. The research is out there! Don't ignore it!There is no need for any age child to stand waiting for a bus at 6:45am. Hello! Start school 1/31/2016 later! End school earlier! I am a single parent to two MCCSC children (4th grade and 8th grade).I favor scenario 5C or any of the 5C variations. Regarding: Should middle and high school start later and elementary earlier? YES!!Science, the APA and my own teen's difficulty falling asleep before 11pm are all evidence that the middle and high schools should start later. Education suffers, particularly in first and second period classes, because teens are not well rested. Starting the teens later is really in everyone's best interest, including MCCSC's as I have no doubt test scores will go up and other measures will show increased learning.Starting the elementary age children earlier is also a good idea because although there are plenty of after school programs (and therefore parents can choose one that best serves their children), the only before school program is School Age Care. Regarding: Should the elementary day be shortened: No (or just shorten it a little.)One of the great benefits of lengthening the elementary day a few years ago was the added enrichment and remediation time, which has been so helpful for my children. A longer school day will also allow plenty of time for innovative programs such as the new arts program at Fairview and the IB curriculum at Templeton, University and Childs. And, fatigue is not an issue for my child.If you keep the elementary day long, I would like to see a way for teachers to have more prep time during the school day. Maybe 1/31/2016 MCCSC could hire aides to supervise recess and free up some teacher time that way.Thank you for your work on this important issue. 1/31/2016 Please don't switch the elementary and middle school schedule. Please. My middle school age child has a hard time getting ready for school. I don't see my elementary school age child doing better with the current 1/31/2016 middle school/high school schedule. Switching schedules is NOT good.

1/31/2016 Does this mean my first grade child would have to wait for the bus earlier than 7:55am AND stay longer in after care? I do not like 5C. 1/31/2016 If secondary school and elementary school switch schedule, I am going to switch my children to private school. 1/31/2016 Do not switch the schedules. I'm begging you. The current plan seems to have the elementary and middle school start times switched. Instead, the elementary times should be left as is and the middle schools should start after 9. Work times aren't going to change for parents, an early start and early end would just lead to less family time for elementary students. But a later start time would let middle school students means they could stay up late like their circadian rhythm suggests and 1/31/2016 still have time with their family before they need to get the bus.

1. Regarding elementary students being picked up at 6:45AM, it's hard to know if this means A LOT of students or just a handful. We already have elementary students being picked up at this time because of ALPS. If the number is comparable to what it already is (current ALPS student numbers v. non‐ALPS student numbers if the times were to flip). Of course, I'd never advocate this as the norm, but I do believe it makes more sense for elementary students to meet before secondary students.2. Regarding times to cut back upon: My main concern relates to cutting special area times for the following reasons:a. Special areas=prep time in most cases so those two choices seen one in the sameb. Specials area times are extremely different throughout the district. While cutting back on those of us with 70 minute special area classes seems logical, cutting back on music/art/PE that meets 50 minutes a week seems to be too much. There seems to be lack of clarity.c. Subjects outside of reading and math: In many ways, it seems as though the 90 minute reading block is the elephant in the room. While this is a state mandate, and I'm not a classroom teacher 1/31/2016 so I don't know specifics, is there any way that "interventions" can be included in this time? 1/31/2016 Please do not start elementary schools prior to 8 am.

Our daughter (3rd grade) had extreme difficulties staying happy for the whole day of school. She came home exhausted and crabby, she complained that was too long from lunch to dismissal but couldn't get an afternoon snack. It wore her out. Sometimes she would just on the couch and sleeps after school. This meant she couldn't go out and play and be a kid. With the addition of homework, there was no time for family (when she could psychologically handle it). The length of the school day was one of the major factors in our recent decision to start home‐school for her. (Not the only factor, but a major factor.)We have two other children. It is likely they will each spend some time in MCCSC. Our daughter will likely return as well. The length of the school day will be a significant factor in our discussions for our children going forward. Right now, we feel like it is too long.Of the scenarios listed Option 5A looks like a good balance of school time and bussing resource allocation. Scenario 5C or the later‐provided 5C* variant also look good.Research from the National Education Policy Center also indicates that incrementally longer school days were not found 1/31/2016 effective in many studies (http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/Chapter04‐Glass‐Final.pdf).

I have two children in elementary school, Lakeview, we wake up at 6 am to have breakfast, get dressed and clean, and catch the bus at 7:20 am. Both children fall asleep on the bus ride to school, and back home. They arrive off the bus at 4:45 pm. This gives them enough time to have a snack, do homework, eat dinner, take a bath, and prepare for school the next day. And that is it. No time for absolutely anything else. That is absolutely and completely insane, not to mention unhealthy. Many studies completed by doctors show that these early start times are harmful. Thought school may start at 8:35, these children have to wake up much earlier to make it to the bus. These studies have shown sleep deprivation's impacts include: weight gain and eating disorders and increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular problems, and diabetes; reduced immunity; depression; anxiety; substance abuse; mood swings; behavior problems; suicidal ideation; and potential impacts on brain development. It's also hard for them to 1/31/2016 focus in class if they're exhausted. Personally, I disagree with elementary students starting earlier than middle school and high school students. Elementary aged students need more sleep and starting earlier in the morning would impede this. If elementary must start before middle and high schools, I favor Elementary start time of 1/31/2016 8:00 am. I Like 5 C** and 5B** I like the non‐ Wednesday late start schedules. It messes us all up to change for late days. The elementary school day is too long currently. I liked the 2010‐2011 elementary school length of day. I don't believe our daughter has gained anything from a longer day. she is cranky and hungry and for pete's sake cannot bring a snack to eat in the afternoon when she is hungry during class. when she ate lunch at 10:30am. Even with the longer day she was still sent home with daily homework. Shorten the day and we will both be in a better mood to do 2/1/2016 additional enrichment at home. As the parent of a child who began at MCCSC in kindergarten and will graduate in 2017, I strongly favor scenario 5C for the benefit of both elementary 2/1/2016 and secondary students. A later start time would make a significant positive difference for my daughter. I had not previously heard anything about changes to the school day before this survey. In terms of the elementary school students, I think it should simply be left alone.I've always thought the start times for middle schoolers was appallingly early and the start time for elementary students (my school age student's age) was reasonable but on the early side. Like many families, when I drop off my elementary student, I need to get the whole family, including 2 younger siblings, out the door for the day. 8:35 is already early as the school day start, especially because we have to arrive at the school a bit early than 8:30 for my son to end up in his class room by 8:35. My family has to get up in the dark most of the school year and often it's barely light by the time we leave the house. (It would the same if I was taking him to a bus stop, because our stop so far from our house that we'd still need to pack up and drive or walk to get there.)I agree that the middle schoolers should get a later start time. I am VERY UNHAPPY with the idea of starting the school day earlier for elementary school students. That's more days getting up in the total darkness, and with the new start times, mean drop offs in the dark, too. I agree the school day is a bit long, but moving the start time to an earlier time of will have the effect of sometimes making it longer, as I will need to use (and pay for) after school programs more often.In short, I am absolutely against making elementary 2/1/2016 school start earlier. If it must change, the closer to the current schedule the better. The current schedule has been working very nicely for my family. My kindergartner adjusted very well to it. I would prefer that the schedule remain 2/1/2016 unchanged. We are very against elementary school starting any earlier than 8 am. We are parents of children in both grade school and high school. If high schools were to start later, after school activities would be pushed later in day, kids would get home even later at night. Our high school student already had to wake up early lot of days to finish school work after long night from school activities. We are in favor of school day going back to 2/1/2016 previous length, esp if you start school later to high school students. I am very much in favor of moving the start of the middle and high school day to after 8:15, and even better, after 8:30. Teenagers need at least 9 hours of sleep a night, but with the present schedule it is nearly impossible for them to get it. Not only are their circadian rhythms not set correctly to get up at 6:30 (or earlier, in the case of my son if he wants to catch the bus) but activities such as sports practices for kids that age often go as late as 9:30. By the middle of the week my son is exhausted and drags himself out of bed to head to school. This is not a recipe for peak academic 2/1/2016 performance.

I strongly support MCCSC adopting option 5C, 5C+, or 5C*. It will allow secondary students to sleep longer in the morning, which is superior from a physiological standpoint. It allows elementary students to come home earlier than they currently come home, but at the same time their day does 2/1/2016 not start too early. The current schedule is ridiculous, making all students more exhausted than necessary. I appreciate MCCSC evaluating not only the school calendar, but the daily school schedule. I think as this is done, the goal of what we are doing here in the first place needs to be kept in mind, and then specifically in a change, what 'problems' are we hoping to solve. To me, the solution is actually quite simple, and I am surprised it has not yet been proposed as a solution.Issues from both sides of the current, or newly proposed schedule will include the following:(1) Working parents need to be kept in mind when creating schedules. This means school needs to start by the time the normal work day starts for parents, every day. Having school start after this is quite problematic. This means, ideally, all students would start at 8 am every day.(2) Parents with multiple kids will typically have kids of multiple ages. Therefore, in the current or newly proposed schedules, they are always on different schedules. This makes family logistics difficult. (3) Elementary kids need sleep. Having them start too early can be problematic. Likewise, HS students have many activities. Having them start late, forces them to miss dinner (which they often already do), or leave early from school (missing school) to get to out of town meets/games. This will have a detrimental impact on their long‐term education, and force them to miss more school, but this school they miss just will be hidden from the public. Although my preference is all students start at 8am, switching elementary and HS start times is absolutely not an appropriate solution, and seems strange it is even being considered as it is detrimental to both the young and older students. My view on the proposed changes is that they do not solve any problems, but rather only create new/different problems. To really come up with a solution, we need to think differently. The elephant in the room is the teacher before school development time on Wed AM. Merely removing the late Wed start development time by moving this instead to after school (or earlier in the day before school, or on regularly scheduled in‐service days), will solve a lot of problems, and only create a paradigm shift for the teachers (e.g. they just do things differently). This small change will allow all students to go to a shorter school day, get more sleep, their parents get to work on time, allowing students to go to their practices/games and not miss school or dinner, and ideally keep more attentive students during the school day (because it is not as long, and they are not as tired). This seemingly accomplishes all possible goals. The issue may be that SOME teachers may have practices/activities for SOME students that they will have to do things differently on SOME days if development is held after school instead of before school. But, to me SOME teachers that may need to meet on different occasions seem more easily adaptable, than ALL the students. Even as it is currently, not all teachers can be at a meeting at the same time, and this will never be the case. Again, removing the late Wed start seems like the logical solution, that solves all these problems, and in fact gets 2/1/2016 the students more hours throughout the year, so even they will have to go to school less days, even with the shorter day.

I will have my first child in kindergarten this coming year and think that the current times for elementary are better than the earlier times proposed. 2/1/2016 Secondary students can go to bed earlier if they aren't getting enough sleep. Why change to make the younger children come so much earlier. I am open to any option that provides consistency for the children, especially in the morning. Many children rely on a routine to feel secure. Altering the morning schedules is very hard on not only the children, but the families. One day a week that starts later than the rest is not what is best for anyone. Children with Special needs need a consistent routine even more than typically developing students. It addition it is helpful to have older siblings home before younger children to assist with afterschool care. Provide consistency for students‐ remember for some children school is the 2/1/2016 only secure, consistent, safe place they have. I believe that scenario 5A is the best possible scenario that has been laid out. Starting at 8am and being released earlier would allow for more time to do homework and get a good night's sleep every day. This scenario still allows for elementary schools to be released later and would satisfy 2/1/2016 many in the secondary schools.

My first comment is how very confusing and complicated this is. I fully support a shorter school day for elementary; teachers that I know frequently just used the extra time for recess and for snacks. Our smallest students were falling asleep in class. The extra length in the school day does not translate into more instruction time. Please read this story. http://www.today.com/parents/want‐kids‐listen‐more‐fidget‐less‐try‐more‐recess‐school‐ t65536 I also fully support a later start time for secondary students. Research shows that starting at 8:30am or later is beneficial to teenagers who are fighting their body clocks to be at school so early. American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a later start time as well. It's something parents 2/1/2016 have been asking for in this community for years. Thank you for considering the length of the school day. The day is currently much too long for elementary students. I have reviewed the scenarios and honestly don't find any of them to be ideal. To address both the AAP recommendation for secondary and the lengthy elementary day, what about something like 8:30‐2:40 for secondary and 9:15‐3:30 for elementary? We are fine with the late‐start day if that is best for PLCs, but the school day must be shortened, and most kids will not be as successful starting early in the morning. Kids are not just learning inside of school walls; learning takes place in extracurriculars, cultural activities, at church, and spending time with family and friends. Kids need more than learning in school to become well‐rounded, successful adults. Again, I applaud you for welcoming feedback and I beg you to shorten the school day by a substantial amount 2/1/2016 of time. Thank you! The web form will only collect information from involved parents. Decisions such as length of the elementary day must be made based on the needs of ALL children, including our most needy, most of whose parents won't fill out the web form because they do not have access to a computer, do not have time to respond, are illiterate, are too wrapped up dealing with the demands of poverty, etc. So I support MCCSC in any and all efforts to gather information from people who really understand the lives of marginalized children outside of school, to figure out what is best for these children, and then weight their interests as highly as you weight the interests of children with involved parents. I believe ‐ from my extensive experience working with and advocating for disadvantaged children ‐ that our neediest children absolutely benefit from the current longer school day. Please keep it the same length, or, if you need to cut some time, I implore you to cut as little as possible.When we look at reasons children in poverty struggle compared to children from more resourced families, we universally agree that a main cause is the disadvantages in their lives outside of school. The last thing we need to be doing is shortening the time these children spend at the most significant educational opportunity they have ‐ school!The current school day does not have to be exhausting for elementary age children. The teachers with which I have contact do a fantastic job structuring their day so that tasks that need the most concentration are earlier in the day, and they use many different pedagogical methods, including games, projects, visitors from the community, etc so as to keep instruction interesting. And there are ways to further minimize fatigue. For example a second recess could be added to the current longer day. A nap or rest time or quite time could be added for the younger children. I would also encourage MCCSC to find ways to give teachers more prep time during the school day so that they can have more time with their families and can therefore be more refreshed in the classroom. For example, aides or volunteers could monitor recess, freeing up some time. Aides or volunteers could read to children, etc. I'm sure some brainstorming would produce other ideas.I'd like to mention and dispel a few myths about marginalized children and the length of the day.Myth: Poor children can get academic instruction in after school programs, so it is not problematic for them to shorten the day.Reality: Many marginalized children don't go to an after school program. For those that do, while there are many fantastic after school child care programs, most all of them offer care, not real help with academics. These programs don't have licensed teachers and that is crucial. Myth: Children in poverty need time to play outside, so shortening the day would benefit them.Reality: Many children in poverty live in apartments with no easy access to safe parks, so many don't play outside after school. The best way to give these children time to play outside is to add an extra recess to the current school day, not to shorten the school day.Myth: Children in poverty need time with their families after school, so shortening the school day is good for them.Reality: Many marginalized children have parents who work in the afternoon. The time‐ with‐families‐argument only really works for families with enough resources for one parent to be home in the after school hours.Myth: School worked fine years ago with a shorter day, so it will be fine once again.Reality: The longer day has allowed MCCSC to add remediation, intervention and enrichment time, and it allows teachers to give students time to do 'homework' in class. Parents of marginalized children are less likely than more resourced parents to be able to help with homework. Shortening the school day could mean more 'homework' at home, which 2/1/2016 is not a good situation for children from struggling families.Myth: Working, struggling parents who want the longer day just care about their own

I strongly favor Scenario 5C, with its 8:45am start‐time for secondary schools. I've personally observed reduced alertness among the college students I've taught or supervised in very‐early morning classes (with, e.g., 7:30 am starts), and my own BHSS‐attending daughter likewise 2/1/2016 approaches her optimal performance AFTER 8:00 am. Since later starts are supported by much research, let's adopt them for MCCSC! I am not sure what research their is that points to the idea of switching the elementary and secondary start times however, if this is done a shorter day for elementary is necessary. My son is exhausted when he gets home and I see the worse of him. There is no time for family or play time before it's bed time. However, if this change is made I would vote for 5C*. I do not believe in waking young children up (mine usually wakes up by 6:30am and he's in bed by 8pm). Sleep is so important in their health and well being that they should get what their body requires. Our bus comes about 50 minutes before school starts, so that means he'd have to be on the bus at 7:10am, a little rushed in the morning for a 6 year old in my opinion. Perhaps, more busses are required since he is on the bus for so long and it's only a 12 minute drive to school.No matter what 2/1/2016 decision is made, the school day MUST be shortened. I think most of the options for elementary school begin too early. It'd be best to start at the 8 or 8:30 time rather than the earlier times suggested.Our older kids thrived with the 9‐3:15 elementary school schedule and secondary schools did not have to start too early then. Why not go back to that model? The school day now exhausts everyone: students and teachers. There are more than 25 days of school added to instruction time 2/1/2016 now and we don't think that is necessary. 2/1/2016 5c* The day needs to be shorter with more time for the children to move around.

I don't believe I have all the answers but I do believe the current schedule is not working. I am advocating for the 5C or 5c+ schedule. My daughter started Kindergarten this year at Childs. She is so overstimulated. 4/5 days after school we are dealing with meltdowns before we even get home because she is on emotional overload from having such a long day of having so much structure. Trust me I am a type A personality and believe structure and school are great, and my daughter is a kid who asks to do 'homework', she loves school, but she is struggling this year and I believe it is because of the long day. She goes to bed at 730‐8pm every night and I have to wake her up in the morning, she sleeps like a rock, and complains she's so tired every day. I also believe in the research for the older high school kids, they are starting way too early! I would also like to comment on the data collection process. I was told that the questions for the survey's that were sent out to teachers were formulated by the administration. I was able to see some the questions on this survey and the questions I saw were leading and biased. They only contained a few selections and omitted some that teachers would actually like to select. There were also no open ended questions so teachers were not able to give their true opinion if it was not representing in the question formatting. Lastly, I was told that not all teachers received this survey. As a research trained health educator with a masters degree I am left to wonder what training the administration has in survey formulation and data collection? And if they have none why are they creating surveys? Shouldn't these surveys be formatted from a third party so they are not biased? Cost. Cost you will say. In this town we have wonderful access to an amazing university full of great professors, doctoral students and graduate students who would benefit from gaining experience in this area, and they are trained to form questions and collect unbiased data. Just something to think about. If the 2/1/2016 data you are collecting is bias what good is it? Please shorten the length of the school day for elementary students. Option 5c seems the most reasonable to my family. It will shorten the day for the elementary children and give the secondary students the later start needed for them to get more rest. I have a kindergartner and a third grader and they both come home exhausted every day. The long school day does not allow us time to participate freely in after school activities. We moved here 1 1/2 years ago from AZ. Our school day there was from 8:25 to 2:50. I never experienced the exhaustion with my older son that we deal with now in this school system. I have heard from several teachers in the community that behavior problems in our MCCSC schools have increased since the length of the day was increased. Please take all of the input from our educators in this community into consideration when making your final decision. I trust our teachers are the ones who really know what will be best for our children regarding this matter. Not one teacher has told me that our current 2/1/2016 length of school day is a good thing for our children and their education. Thank you.