‘Trickle down effect’ of longer K-2 day frustrating for some middle school parents

An additional hour of school for New Brunswick kindergarten to Grade 2 students is not sitting well with some parents, who say the impact on middle and high school schedules is something that doesn’t appear to have been thought through by education officials.

The Department of Education communicated the plan for the additional hour for its youngest students in a letter to schools districts in March. The change, which will begin in the fall, is designed to bring the younger grades in line with grades 3 to 8.

Amanda Saulnier received an email from Devon Middle School, in Fredericton, where her son is a student and where her two other children will start in September. The email advised parents that the middle-school day will begin at 9:15 a.m. and end at 3:45 p.m. because of transportation adjustments that are needed.

Saulnier said the “trickle down effect” is going to make things tough for working parents who drop their kids off at school on their way to work.

“My immediate thoughts were … how this new schedule is just going to have significant impact on just about every middle school student, high school student, their family needs — at least in this district,” she said.

The email Saulnier received from Devon Middle School says the school will likely open its doors to students 30 minutes prior to start time, which would mean students couldn’t be dropped off until 8:45 a.m.

Bus schedules behind Anglophone West changes

The reason for the later start and end to the day is that since K-2 students will now join the grades 3 to 5 students for the ride home, the buses will have more students to drop off before they can go back to get the middle and high school students. 

The department did not grant an interview with Education Minister Bill Hogan about the trickle down effect. Neither was one granted in March when CBC News reported the change. A spokesperson did not directly answer questions related to the change and instead directed the majority of questions to the districts. 

WATCH | ‘I’m lucky my boss is very understanding’:

Middle school parent concerned about ripple effect of longer school day for youngest students

Fredericton parent Miek Gall says because of the longer school day for K-2 students, his middle schoolers will now have a later start to their day, complicating the life of a working parent.

Saulnier also pointed out a further complication. The Anglophone West School District, which includes Devon Middle, has struggled with a bus driver shortage for years now, especially in the Fredericton and Oromocto areas.

On an average day, 35 to 40 of its 254 bus drivers are unable to come to work, according to an interview with the district’s manager of transportation in January.

Saulnier said her child’s current pickup time is 7:50 a.m., but it isn’t uncommon for cancellations or delays. 

“So should parents decide to leave their children waiting for a bus in order to get to work on time? What happens when the bus is inevitably cancelled or delayed, and you’ve got unsupervised 10- and 11-year-olds on the street corner?”

Devon Middle School did not agree to an interview and instead forwarded the request to Paul MacIntosh, director of communications for the school district.

The superintendent was not available for an interview, but MacIntosh has said the district is still in the process of finalizing bell and bus schedules, and it is too early to speak to school specifics. 

Later drop-off ‘tricky’ for parents

Miek Gall is another concerned parent.

His shift begins at 8:30 a.m. and he will need to drop off one child at Bliss Carman and another at George Street. The start time for both middle schools is around 9:20 a.m., with doors likely opening 30 minutes prior.

Gall says he is lucky his boss is accommodating because the new schedule presents a tricky situation. He doesn’t want to drop his children off outside and unsupervised before the school doors open. If he weren’t so lucky, there would be no way for him to drop them between 8:50 and 9:20, not when his work day starts at 8:30.

“I love the idea that they want to teach the younger kids longer — they’re absolute sponges at that age,” he said. 

But Gall wonders if the benefit for younger students will outweigh the challenges the new schedule presents to many middle schoolers.

Saulnier is also concerned about what the later dismissal time will mean for middle school students and their extracurricular programs. 

Her kids are involved with Sistema, a free music program, and are bused to Gibson-Neill Memorial Elementary School where they stay until 5 p.m.

She worries her children will end up missing out on about an hour of instruction.

Kenn Mainville, CEO of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, which runs Sistema, said the organization is assessing how the school-day changes will affect the program.

Saulnier and Gall are waiting for more information. They want to know what parents are supposed to do. They worry some will be faced with the choice of being an hour late for work and upsetting their employer, or leaving their children unsupervised in the morning.

“I question what consideration was given to the trickle-down effect and the scope of the impact on all of the families and middle schoolers and high schoolers and all of these programs,” said Saulnier.

School districts say they’re still working on the plan and the schedules, which will be communicated to families this summer.