SLHS adopts single-track schedule
Beginning in August, all students at San Luis High School will begin the school day at the same time.
The school is switching from a double- to a singletrack bell schedule that has first-period classes for all students beginning at 7:20 a.m. Monday through Friday.
Under the new schedule, the last class period for everyone will end at 1 p.m. on Mondays and 2:20 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.
The change from the double-track or staggered schedule is aimed at improving campus security and affording students equal opportunities to take part in after-school tutoring and extracurricular activities, the school’s principal, Tammy Ray, said.
As was the case last year, the school will continue to offer three different lunch periods. Ray said each lasts 30 minutes, providing students enough time to be served and to eat.
“Everyone had enough time to eat. We think that three periods allows them to do that. It’s a nice pace, and everyone has enough time to socialize, relax and have fellowship with their friends, before they have to go back to class.
The change will take effect at the start of the 201819 school year on Aug. 2.
Until now, students were assigned to one of two tracks, depending on their grade levels and other factors.
Under the new schedule, all entrances to the school will open at 6:30 a.m., allowing students to arrive on campus up to nearly an hour before the start of the first period.
With the staggered schedule, the entrances to the campus were kept open from 6:45 to 8:45 a.m., with each one being watched by school staff at all times during the two hours.
“That’s a huge amount of time to have to keep all the access points open and supervised,” Ray said.
A single-track schedule will allow the school to better manage the flow of students arriving in the morning, she added.
“When you have multiple schedules, it’s harder to know where each student should be, and when they should be there. With a single schedule, there’s no question about where each one should be.”
And under the dual schedule, students who finished their last periods sometimes had to wait to begin after-school tutoring or extracurricular activities, because the teachers who supervised those activities were still in class under the other track, Ray said. In those cases, the students sometimes didn’t wait around.
The single track allows students and teachers alike to proceed directly from the last class period to afterschool activities, she said.
“The decision to potentially change the bell schedule has been a topic of discussion for well over a year now,” Ray said. “I really believe we have a great plan in place that will offer not only a safer environment, but one that supports optimal outcomes for both our students and staff. This plan is the result of valued stakeholder feedback and dialogue.”
Before the school adopted the single-track schedule, parents were given multiple chances to give their views about the chance, she said, and most voiced support.