INDIANAPOLIS -- Washington Township Schools are seeking input from all stakeholders on what administrators are calling two very important issues: enrollment rebalancing and school hours.
“With the 2019-2020 opening of an eighth District elementary school, and due to the need to address the current imbalance of student enrollment among our three middle schools, the District must adjust the K-8 attendance boundaries for all District elementary and middle schools,” the school system posted on its Facebook page October 27.
“Additionally, over the past two years, the District has been investigating potential changes to the start and end times of our schools. In order to align with current research, a change to start and end times would also alter the current order of our schools (high school/elementary school/middle school).”
Washington Township Schools said both issues are complex and involve many variables. Parents and other stakeholders are asked to complete an online survey asking them to choose two attendance zone options as well as two school start/end time options. Any changes would take effect with the 2019-2020 school year.
The administration has established 4:25 p.m. as the latest possible end time for its school day due to after school activities, after school student supervision requirements, and after school activity bus transportation limitations.
The administration and transportation department prefers to start the school day for all busing tiers as close to 7:30 a.m. as possible out of consideration for early morning bus pick up times from students’ homes.
The school system also points out that fifty minutes is needed between the busing tiers (between start times and end times of each tier) in order to provide safe and on-time bus transportation.
