New York schools to change operating hours for students
In the upcoming school year, certain students in New York City will witness adjustments to their daily schedules, either starting earlier or, in certain instances, slightly later. These modifications are being implemented across the five boroughs in response to directives from city officials and input from school parents.
The objective behind these timing alterations is to accommodate opportunities for professional growth and planning, as specified in the recent contract between the city and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), which received approval earlier this summer.
At PS 154 located in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, there will be a shift in class commencement times. On Mondays, classes will commence at 8 a.m., while during the rest of the week, they will start at 8:20 a.m. This is a departure from the previous start time of 8:30 a.m. Additionally, the school day will conclude at 2:20 p.m. on Mondays and at 2:40 p.m. on Tuesdays, deviating from last year’s dismissal time of 2:50 p.m. Similar minor time adjustments have been noted by parents at other schools. Education department officials emphasized that these changes are linked to the newly ratified contract.
Historically, administrators of New York City schools have held the authority to modify arrival and dismissal times within the parameters stipulated by the teachers’ contract. As part of the contract ratified this summer, the staff at each school was empowered to vote on various options for allocating the mandatory 100 minutes per week dedicated to professional development and planning, according to information from the UFT.
The staff had the choice of incorporating this time at the start of the day, the end of the day, or a combination of both. Alison Gendar, a spokesperson for the UFT, clarified, “The total duration of students’ school day remains unchanged at six hours and 20 minutes.”However, certain parents expressed their surprise at the modified schedule changes.
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