BY OLIVIA SIMPSON 

On Thursday, February 13th, students in grades 9-12 took a survey on moving the start time to 8:30 for  the 2020-21 school year. The survey included two questions: 1. whether students wanted a later start time and 2. an explanation why. 

The survey has spurred conversations on what a later start time would look like. Below are answers to student questions.

1. What time will school end? If we were to continue the schedule from this present school year, school would end at 3:42. But this will not be the case. Dr. Renner said, “It seems like 3:30 sounds so much better than 3:40.” Where the 12-minute difference will come from is unknown right now.  
2. Will the other buildings/schools also switch their starting times? According to Dr. Renner the start time for the other buildings will not change. With this, the junior will remain 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and the high school and both elementaries (Mariemont and Terrace Park) will go from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 
3. How will sports and extracurriculars be impacted? No sport will be permitted to hold practices before school. Extracurriculars will not be impacted. Dr. Renner said, “It doesn’t do us any good to have a late start and then have everybody be here at 6:30 in the morning to do sports.” 
4. Who will make the ultimate decision? Dr. Renner said, “We’re getting input from student surveys, parent surveys, conversations with teachers, and research involving sleep patterns, but at the end of the day, it will be a recommendation. And if we decide to do nothing, nothing will happen; if we decide from all the input that we would like a change, we will make the recommendation to the Board of Education, probably at the end of March.”