In Dorchester County schools, changed start times viewed as mostly positive

About a year ago, Dorchester County School District 2 parents and students wrangled with the same concerns Beaufort County now faces over changed school start times.

Dorchester high schools this year start at 8:55 a.m. instead of 7:25. Elementary schools start at 7:15 and middle schools at 8:10.

Bus schedules, traffic problems and academic studies drove the change.

Because of bus schedules, high school students previously arrived as early as 6:45 and had a long wait for the first bell, district spokeswoman Pat Raynor said. The previous bell schedule had been in place more than 15 years.

The results in some instances have been better than expected, Raynor said Wednesday. High school students have been on time more often and better behaved, she said.

“We like to think it is they are better rested,” Raynor said. “They don’t have to sit in the cafeteria and wait 45 minutes for school to begin. There have been a lot of positive results that have come this.”

Some school clubs that used to meet after school have started meeting before the first bell or during lunch, Raynor said. Early dismissals for athletic events are an issue, she said, but school officials determined the class time missed for away games was minimal.

Raynor said she has not heard from students who rely on part-time jobs or from employers who had to adjust schedules, which she views as a positive. Dorchester’s changes came after a series of public meetings with presentations on the upside of the changes and adjustments from parents’ input, she said.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 3:39 PM with the headline "In Dorchester County schools, changed start times viewed as mostly positive."