More than half of Marcus High School students surveyed say they dislike the school's 8:50 a.m. start time, two months into its first semester.
A survey by The Marquee, the school's student newspaper, polled 306 Marcus students and found 55.6% preferred the old schedule. Students cited squeezed after-school jobs, later extracurricular practices and less time for homework as complaints.
The Lewisville Independent School District (LISD) Board of Trustees voted 5-2 on Jan. 12 to swap start times between middle and high schools, as The Flower Mound Bee reported. High schools moved from 8:20 a.m. to 8:50 a.m., with dismissal shifting from 3:35 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Middle schools start at 8:15 a.m., up from 8:55 a.m. Trustees Allison Lassahn and Sheila Taylor voted against the swap. The board also added 10 minutes of instructional time across all campuses, extending the student day from 435 to 445 minutes, according to LISD's announcement.
Marcus Principal Cody Koontz told The Marquee that student safety drove the decision. Middle schoolers who cannot drive were arriving well before doors opened, sometimes dropped off more than an hour early by parents and older siblings heading to work or class.
"I remember from the discussions from the school board on the night that they made the decision, student safety was probably the thing I heard them mention the most as being a primary reason for making the change," Koontz said.
The 40-minute-later dismissal has rippled through students' afternoons. Senior Emilee Lindeman told The Marquee she changes into work clothes right after fourth period and said she is losing 10 hours of work per week. Junior Kadence Wolf said her younger brother waits 40 minutes after his school lets out for her to pick him up.
Sophomore band member Vika Krasnozhon said she barely has time to eat between the 4:15 p.m. bell and her 5:30 p.m. practice, getting home around 9 or 9:30 p.m.
Teachers feel the squeeze, too. English teacher Mary Katherine Olson told The Marquee that running errands or making doctor's appointments after school has become harder because businesses close by 5 p.m.
Not everyone opposes the change. English teacher Jake Epler said he wakes at 6:45 a.m. with sunlight instead of 6:15 a.m. in the dark and finishes grading faster. Sophomore Jiwoo Lee said the extra morning time helps her start the day without forgetting supplies.
The schedule change also prompted the Town of Flower Mound to remove timed school-zone signs rather than reprint them, saving about $20,000, Town Manager James Childers told the North Texas Sun.
