Hudsonhubtimes.com - Guest Column: Start, stop times prove to be complex issue in district

by Steve Farnsworth, Hudson City School District superintendent

When 24 members of the community, mostly parents, began meeting nearly six months ago to explore school start and stop times, they didn't know they would become experts in complex issues that include sleep, student achievement, and bus and school operations.

For many years, researchers have proven that children don't function well on an adult sleep schedule. At different ages, children have different sleep patterns that require varying bedtimes and optimal wake times. However, much like the agrarian school year calendar still used today, school start and stop times typically don't reflect what is best for kids. Armed with this information, the committee's charge was to study the start/stop times of all the Hudson schools and make a recommendation.

Based on the Start Times Advisory Committee's research, the work continues through a newly organized Transportation Advisory Committee whose charge is to provide a means and review suggestions from community members with regards to the school district's transportation program. The committee will make a recommendation to the business manager, and any recommendations regarding School Board policy changes to the superintendent.

In addition, there are some very challenging issues still on the table, such as, working toward start times between 8 and 9 a.m., studying the traffic flow on North Hayden and addressing the mix of ages of bus riders.

To understand the complexity of both committee charges is equivalent to becoming a master at the game of Jenga. Every piece of the puzzle such as: student safety, bus operations, traffic congestion, teacher schedules, school activities, sports, vocational programs and private schools in our transportation zone, is being considered in addition to cost. Moving one piece of the puzzle often results in the near collapse of what appears to be, a first glance, a simple solution.

As well, parent, student and staff feedback must continue to be included in the research, while various busing scenarios are being studied by our transportation professionals.

It will be difficult to gain improvements without adversely impacting cost, convenience or tradition. However, the committee is working through these discussions to form a long-term start time goal for the school year 2009-10.

Along the way, it remains vitally important to keep everyone informed. Reports, updates and survey results have been and will be posted on the district's Web site (www.hudson.edu) and appear in the Hudson Hub-Times. Updates will continue at School Board meetings, which air on Hudson Cable TV channel 26.

At the March 10 Board of Education meeting, a recommendation was made that put wellness in the forefront of everything educators want to do to help students achieve, including optimal school start and stop times.

Our Board of Education agreed. What we lacked in the process then was the additional time needed for our community to respond to the recommendation. Also, without immediate approval, we were out of time to make the changes needed in transportation and school operations to start in the fall of 2008. Even with their decision to not move forward with the intermediate step recommended, the Board is honoring the excellent research of the Start Time Advisory Committee and has appointed a Transportation Committee to continue the fine work already accomplished and to recommend a final solution.

There is no single answer that can or will satisfy all the requirements of each child or individual parental needs or circumstances. However, the common goal we must not lose sight of -- as we continue to work on this issue next year -- is ultimately doing what is best for overall student wellness and achievement.