Muscogee County School District changes start, dismissal times for two elementary schools

Two elementary schools in Muscogee County will start and end their class days 15 minutes earlier to help alleviate traffic congestion.

Eagle Ridge Academy and North Columbus Elementary School, effective Monday, will begin classes at 7:45 a.m. and dismiss students at 2:15 p.m., the Muscogee County School District announced Thursday. The rest of the district's elementary schools will continue to start their classes at 8 a.m. and dismiss students at 2:30 p.m.

"Changes to the start and end times will not impact bus pick-up time, instructional activities during the school day, or after-school programs," MCSD communications director Valerie Fuller said in a news release. "Parents may continue to drop off car riders as early as 7:15 a.m."

Traffic congestion around those schools has been a concern the past few years as residential and commercial growth makes the roads busier during the morning and afternoon commutes. Eagle Ridge is adjacent to Shaw High School; North Columbus is adjacent to Veterans Memorial Middle School and Northside High School.

This school year, which started Aug. 10, the district's new schedule for high schools has increased the traffic congestion around those schools. High schools are starting 15 minutes earlier this year because their schedule was changed from a modified block with four classes per day to a straight seven-period day, which requires 15 minutes more of hallway time to change classes.

Superintendent David Lewis has said the administration changed the schedule after a survey of the district's high school teachers showed approximately 88 percent favored the straight seven-period schedule so they could have a daily planning period, instead of every other day in the modified block schedule. Moving the start time from 8:25 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. for high schools put their drop-off period too close to the one for Eagle Ridge and North Columbus. The district's middle schools start at 8:50 a.m. and dismiss at 3:50 a.m.

"The district administration, working with the district's security staff and the Columbus Police Department, decided the safest and least disruptive solution is to make a time adjustment at both of the elementary schools," Fuller said.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Muscogee County School District changes start, dismissal times for two elementary schools ."