New OSD Start Times Better for Students, Parents

Two weeks ago, a new school year began for the Oxford School District, and with a fresh start came a fresh set of school start times.

The board of trustees voted in June to adjust the start times for all eight schools in the district. Bramlett, Oxford and Della Davidson elementary schools in class from 7:40 a.m. to 2:35 p.m., and Oxford Intermediate School runs from 7:35 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
For the older students, the start times were pushed back, with Oxford Middle School in class from 8:20 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. and Oxford High School starting five minutes later.
Superintendent Brian Harvey said he has received more compliments than concerns from parents on the new start times and thinks the dispersing of start times has positively affected traffic around Oxford.
“It’s taken that pressure off of those particular times and points, especially at Commonwealth and Sisk at Highway 7 and in front of the Middle School and Bramlett,” Harvey said.
Many parents who were uneasy about the changes, especially those with children at different schools with different start times, now see the changes as positives, giving teenagers a little longer to sleep in the morning and avoiding the battle of four children fighting over the bathroom.
Harvey also said the new start times affected the bus schedule but thinks the changes have put less stress on the routes.
“I think by now, we’ve made the adjustments as with the beginning of every school year,” Harvey said. “There are issues that you have on the front end, and I think we’ve made the adjustments we need to make.”
Amelia Camurati is managing editor of HottyToddy.com and can be reached at amelia.camurati@hottytoddy.com.