Schools

Applications Open For School Start Times Parent Advisory Group

The group will meet on alternating Tuesday evenings, beginning Jan. 14, 2020.

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The Andover School Committee had initially planned to make a decision by the end of the year.
The Andover School Committee had initially planned to make a decision by the end of the year. (Christopher Huffaker/Patch)

ANDOVER, MA —Andover Public Schools are taking applications for the "School Start Times Parent Advisory Group." The group will give feedback to the start times working group as it evaluates options for new start times arrangements. The group's creation comes more than a year after the district began exploring changing start times, to align with medical recommendations that school start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. for adolescent students.

In a letter to parents, Superintendent Sheldon Berman wrote, "The purpose of the advisory group is to:

  • Work within the parameters and guiding principles set by the School Committee to provide objective feedback as to the benefits, drawbacks and additional considerations of school start time options to the Working Group.
  • Evaluate the feasibility and receptivity of the school start time options and attempt to develop consensus on viable school start time proposals."

At their meeting last week, the school committee set five targets for start times for the working group to explore. They included not having anyone picked up before 7 a.m., and not changing private school bell times.

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The application, available at this link, is due Dec. 19. Parents will be notified if they have been selected by Jan. 8, 2020, according to the letter. Each K-8 school will have one representative, as will Shawsheen. The high school will have three, and there will be one parent "representing special education."

The group will meet every other Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m., beginning Jan. 14 and going until it's no longer necessary — potentially through March, according to the letter.

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In addition to availability Tuesday evening, applicants are asked to:

  • "Be open-minded to potential solutions
  • Have a willingness to exchange ideas with other parents and offer feedback on the proposals to the facilitator
  • Able to problem-solve and work toward consensus for the greater good of students"

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.

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