Silver Creek Schools considering later start times for next school year

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- A southern Indiana school district is considering changing its start time for students.

Chad Briggs, the Superintendent of Silver Creek Schools, said he believes pushing start times back could bring several benefits, from allowing students more time to sleep, as well as alleviate traffic backups during drop off and pick up times.

"If you've ever been around our campus in the morning and in the afternoon -- including our primary campus and anywhere in between -- it is highly congested here," said Briggs. 

The carpool and bus rider lines outside Silver Creek High School and Silver Creek Middle School Friday afternoon were long, as classes ended about 2:25 p.m.

As it stands now, school schedules are as follows:

• Primary School: 8:10 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
• Elementary School: 8:10 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• Middle and High Schools: 7:40 a.m. - 2:25 p.m.

One proposal would involve starting school for the middle and high schoolers closer to 8 a.m. and primary and elementary students closer to 8:50 a.m. or 9 a.m.

That change would not only push classes back, but also create a larger gap between start times for older and younger students, with the goal to alleviate traffic backups as everyone arrives and departs campus.

"I would like to see later start times because I think it's just better for older kids, and for safety reasons, I'd like to see more space in between the middle and high and the elementary and primary," said Briggs.

The district has around 3,000 students. The primary school is for kindergarten and first grade students, the elementary school is for 2nd through 5th graders, middle school is for 6th through 8th graders, and a high school is for 9th through 12th graders.

The district has created an online survey where parents can voice their opinions about the possibility of changing start times. The survey will close Feb. 17.

Detailed information about what's being considered can be found by clicking here.

Greg Bone is a Silver Creek parent with two daughters in the district. He said he'd be in favor of pushing start times back.

"My oldest daughter -- you know the high school and middle school, they go a little earlier -- and she's already having to get up at 5:30 a.m. just to get ready," said Bone. "She usually boards the bus around 6:30. It's one of those things we're always touting and always conveying that our children need more and more sleep."

This idea is also coming at a time when the district is seeing a lot of construction.

"We just put an elementary drop-off, seven lanes out here. We got a new transportation lot. We've got athletic facilities that are currently being reconstructed. This summer we're starting on [the high school]. It will be a much larger construction project. Also...the department of transportation will be doing some sort of construction out here on 31," said Briggs. "If we do nothing different, we're already congested, with our construction and the potential department of transportation's construction, we want to try to widen the gap in between our primary and elementary starting and our middle and high school starting to try to help give a little breathing room, not only for parents but for our buses."

But it's still possible that start times will remain unchanged. Ultimately, it will be up to the board to decide. 

Briggs said after the online surveys are completed in later this month, a committee will form to review the information and bring a recommendation to the board by April. 

"Whether we stay the same or change, it's going to have an impact that's different for every family, but the board and I believe the first thing is to get [parent/guardian] input, bring their ideas to the table, and see where things go," said Briggs.

Briggs said ideas are still in the very early stages.

If the board votes to approve changing start times, those changes will be implemented for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.

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