Starting in the 2018-2019 school year in the Camas Public School District, the time school starts will be different for all students. Just as a reminder:

• High Schools + Odyssey Middle School: 8:40 am – 3:20 pm
• Middle Schools: 9:00 am – 3:40 pm
• Lacamas Lake Elementary: 8:15 am – 2:45 pm
• All other elementary Schools: 8:00 am – 2:30 pm

The response from students so far appears to be quite conflicted. Some are against it, while others are all for it. Senior Cassidy Andrews explains, “I think its smart of the school; it’ll give students more of a chance for more sleep if they take the advantage.” The new schedule means high school and middle school students are able to get about another hour of sleep in the morning. “I’d rather stay at school longer then get here earlier,” explains Andrews.

It is not just students who have differing opinions on the new start times. Mr. Bohac, a CHS math teacher, says he is not the biggest fan of the new start times, “Personally, I am not in favor of it. As a teacher, I don’t think that it’s going to change things.” Keep in mind, the in-class time in school is not changing, only the starting times. “A student is still going to complain about doing math first thing in the morning.”

Some students are worried about how the new schedule will impact their family lives, too. Sophomore Hannah Nguyen points out, “What about the parents? The elementary kids, they come home at 2:30 and some parents aren’t home at the time and older brothers/sisters aren’t home to take care of the younger kids.” This points to a major issue of safety because no guardian is home to make sure their kids are coming home safely.

Furthermore, since some upperclassmen have jobs, probably part-time, leaving school around 3:30 pm may not give them enough time. Sophomore Tia Merritt addresses the issue: “Personally, this is not a good change, especially for students that have jobs, and others have practice for sports outside of Camas High that starts at 3.”

While there are a number of concerns, students, parents and Camas families should rest assured that all those concerns are being listened to. One way to reach out to the District leaders is through this Google Forms Survey that asks about specific concerns people may have. Be sure to fill it out and be part of the conversation.