Yarmouth High School and Harrison Middle School
Start time: 8:00 a.m. End time: 2:45 p.m.
Yarmouth Elementary School and Rowe School
Start time: 8:40 a.m. End time: 3:30 p.m.
These times will be in effect at the start of the school year in September. We are hopeful that this notice will provide parents and staff with time to make the necessary schedule adjustments.
Several frequently asked questions include:
With this twenty-minute push, what happens to bus schedules? Bus schedules will be adjusted to reflect this twenty-minute adjustment. Each year we evaluate our bus runs based on the location of student residences. Most bus runs will simply be pushed back twenty minutes, but minor adjustments are always necessary once the residency map is considered. Those schedules will be released by August 1.
Will the high school still have “late start Wednesdays”? Yes – the Wednesday schedule at Yarmouth High School will begin one hour later than the regular school day, running from 9:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Will our student-athletes, musicians, and club members just have more morning practices, rehearsals, and meetings? No – The recommendation from the Start Times Task Force is to ensure that we avoid scheduling morning events to any greater extent than the current practice, taking into account facilities constraints for some programs.
Will there be an option for younger students to be cared for at school prior to the start of each school day? Maybe – There is a possibility that we will be providing an option for a limited number of parents of K-4 children to access childcare at one of our schools or at an off-site location through Yarmouth Community Services. We will be exploring several options and will communicate any solutions prior to the end of this school year.
We will be working on several logistical and programmatic pieces to further answer these and other questions that this change will raise. We appreciate the work of the Start Times Task Force, the participation of parents and students in the district-wide survey, and the input from community members at recent School Committee meetings.
