The Atlanta Public School’s Board of Education has released new bell schedules across all grade levels to be implemented in the 2024-2025 school year. With the changes, the high school schedule will start and end 15 minutes early. This has the first bell ringing at 8:30 and the last bell ringing at 3:30. While it may only seem like a few minutes, this time change will affect every student, teacher, and staff member who has spent the past few years getting accustomed to the current schedule.
The 8:45-3:45 schedule was put in place in the 2021-22 school year when students and teachers were reentering the building after the pandemic. The change was made as part of APS’ Academic Recovery Plan and to make up for lost learning. Now three years later, the usefulness of this schedule has been called into question. Despite this, some teachers are worried about the possible increase of tardies that may become a precedent with the change in bell schedule. IB Literature teacher Carla Mills is concerned about her future first-period students’ punctuality. “I hope the kids will be able to get up and be here on time,” she said.
As for the students, each starts their morning in three different ways. They will either carpool, drive themselves, or take the bus. The first two are dependent on the individual for getting to school on time but bus riders must be outside and ready to hop on the bus at a specified time. This new schedule will push that time and all other morning duties up 15 minutes. This schedule change will make a difference for one bus rider, Jasmine Williams, who expects it to influence the flow of her mornings. “I don’t think it will help me as much as it may inconvenience me,” she said.
Although the early start will likely result in many tardies and tired eyes in the beginning, the resulting earlier dismissal should give students more time in the afternoon for their extracurriculars. After-school clubs or tutorials are more likely to end around 4:30 p.m. rather than 5 p.m., getting everyone home with more free time on their hands. The hope is that, with such free time, students will have time to complete their schoolwork and enjoy their time outside of school. Sophomore Allison Walker is hopeful that the schedule will bring more opportunities rather than limit her. “I feel like it will take a second for the change to seep in,” she said. “But I definitely think it will be cool to be home earlier.”
The bell schedule transition was an unprecedented change that all of the Atlanta Public Schools will face in the following school year. These 15 minutes may seem small but are bound to bring waves of change, both good and bad. People can only speculate on the possible outcomes as they patiently wait for the new year to begin. Just be ready to set those alarm clocks 15 minutes earlier!
