Are You Willing to Trade Early Release for a Later School Start?

In a recent Park City School District Master Planning Committee meeting, School Board President Tanya Knauer said that “all things are on the table” when talking about realigning grades. The talk shifted to starting school later, especially for high school students. According to the University of Minnesota, it appears there is research that says starting school later is better for high school students.

Yet, it’s hard to start school at 10 AM and have early release a few hours later. Early release is a program that allows students to end their school day early to pursue other activities. We believe that was the point that Master Planning Committee member and Park City High School Principal Bob O’Connor was trying to make when he said, “are you willing to give up early release?” in response to the discussion.

We’ve talked to a few parents, and unless they think they have the next Lindsey Vonn (or Lindsey Van), they don’t seem to mind if early release was no longer an option. If starting classes later is really better for performance and health, it seems like a no brainer. For those that need to follow their olympic dreams, there is always the Winter Sports School.