COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus City Schools will add one additional hour of instructional time to their school days.
Elementary and Kindergarten through 8th-grade students will start school at 9 a.m. and end class at 3:30 p.m. during the 2009-2010 school year.
Middle and high schools and career centers will begin at 7:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m.
Columbus City Schools just announced the change last Friday when it released the calendar for the next school year.
The four exceptions are Fort Hayes, which begins at 7:15 a.m. and dismisses at 2:45 p.m.; Alum Crest High School and Clearbrook Elementary, which start at 7:30 a.m. and dismiss at 2 p.m. and Beatty Park and Colerain Elementary, which start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.
I-PASS starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 1:45 p.m.
The additional hour is welcome news to some parents at Stewart Elementary School, and it will also help students meet new Ohio core requirements for graduation by allowing more time for lab work and hands-on training.
The state requires students to be in school for at least five hours per day in elementary school and 5.5 hours each day in high school -- not including lunch.
The school year will begin August 26 and run through June 3 -- as long as no calamity days are used.
"I'm fine with it. I think it's good for the students. Education is important. I think the school day now is a little short. I think they can learn a little more going a little longer," said Krissi Courtney, a parent.
The addition stems from the passage of an operating levy. It was a campaign promise to bring the lost hour back after budget cuts and now it will happen. This was the first academic year when the hour was cut.
For more information, visit the district's web site: http://www.columbus.k12.oh.us
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