Charleston Co. families address proposed bell schedule changes at local schools

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School District is weighing the option of changing start times for schools in Hollywood, Ravenel, West Ashley and Johns Island.

Across constituent Districts 9, 10 and 23, middle and high schools operate from roughly 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Elementary schools are in session between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

The district is gathering feedback from families and staff in its third community listening circle of the month to consider swapping the start times. The third and final meeting was held at West Ashley High on Tuesday with more than a dozen in attendance.

The third and final meeting was held at West Ashley High on Tuesday with more than a dozen in attendance.

“Over the last several years, CCSD has been discussing school start times, throughout the district. Not just West Ashley, Johns Island, Wadmalaw Island, Hollywood, and Ravenel. All over,” District representative Rich Gordon said.

Bell schedules listed by the district show Districts 9, 10 and 23 are the only remaining with schedules opposite to other constituent districts. In other districts, the bell rings for elementary schools by 7:30 a.m. and for middle and high schools, by 8:30 a.m.

Jessica Burnside is a teacher and parent within the district who believes the times should stay as they are.

Several parents, including Burnside, mentioned these three districts benefit from having older siblings off earlier to help with younger kids. Keeping the times the same would also allow older students to get to extracurriculars or jobs that start in the late afternoon.

“We’re going to end up waking up at the exact same times, getting them up for school and then getting ourselves to school. Now we’re already extending our day when we’re dead tired,” one high schooler said.

“There are some who have raised a concern. I don’t know what we’re going to do in family homes. They said ‘I work to support my family,’” one educator said.

Others believe the change would benefit sleep schedules for teenagers and support younger kids who might typically wake up earlier. It would also align the bell to most schools in the district.

“What I think the benefit is for kids at high school age, which is where my kids are. I have to say the data shows it benefits them a lot,” one parent said.

“My kids have to be in different places at the exact same time. It makes education difficult, after-school programs difficult,” another parent said.

When asked what they want to see happen next, parents and teachers suggested a defined reason for the suggestion. This included transparent data analysis and sharing projections for growth to explain why this might be beneficial or harmful.

In 2015, the district considered this same schedule change for Johns Island, West Ashley and North Charleston schools. The community meeting, which was held at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School, was standing-room only.

The district expects to expand the conversation into the new year and aims to make a decision after meeting feedback and surveys are submitted on January 3. The survey link can be found here.

The district claims it has received more than 2300 responses.