FAQ: New Start/End Times for the 2021-22 School Year

Update: New times have been approved for the 2021-22 school year

The proposed start/end time adjustments we published two weeks ago have been approved and will be in effect for the 2021-22 school year. Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback and participated in our parent survey.

Here’s our recent FAQ outlining the changes:

Question	Answer
Why did the District propose changes to start/end times for the 2021-22 school year?	The District, for several years, has set as a goal to bring the Rolland-Warner late start/end times into alignment with the rest of the District. Making the change allows for the District to not only offer Rolland-Warner students and parents a more typical start/end time, but to move to a two-tier busing system. The latter change would help the District deal with its bus driver shortage.
What is a 2-tier busing system?	A 2-tier system would, in essence, split our transportation system into K-5 and 6-12 runs. While all schools will experience a minor shift in daily start and end times, the only major change to the school day would be at Rolland-Warner where the start time will move from 9:24 a.m. to 7:46 a.m. The total length of the day remains the same.
How do you know parents support the earlier start time for Rolland-Warner?	The District put out a survey on the prospective change that was responded to by 275 parents. The overwhelming majority (81%) preferred the earlier start/end time.
Is this style of busing unique?	No, there are many school districts across the state that utilize 2-tier busing systems.
Would middle level and high school students ride the bus together?	Yes. Rolland-Warner, Zemmer and LHS students will ride together. This already happens for students attending zero hour. We also have elementary students riding on LHS/Zemmer buses for 5th grade band at Rolland-Warner without any issues.
Would there still be transfer buses?	Yes. Many of the transfer bus runs will remain. Our students have adapted very well with our transfer bus system over the years. We do not anticipate having any transfer bus issues with a 2-tier system.
Would these changes impact ride times for students?	We do not anticipate bus routes would be any longer than what they are currently.
What about PLTW? Would that be offered as a seventh hour option?	Update: Yes, if there is enough interest, we will offer 7th hour PLTW. If your child is interested in this offering, please contact a Rolland-Warner Counselor at 810-538-2334.
What about 5th grade band?	Transportation to Rolland-Warner for 5th grade band will remain the same as this school year. Students would ride in with LHS/Zemmer/RW students. Transfer buses would get them back to their elementary building when class is done.
Would after-school care options be offered for students at Rolland-Warner now that school will end earlier in the day?	Yes. We are planning to add a transfer to get students from Rolland-Warner to Turrill Elementary at the end of the day for after-school opportunities.
What about families who do not use bus transportation and have students at Zemmer and LHS? What do they do if the schools end at the same time?	We will still have a transfer bus to LHS so that younger students can ride home with older siblings, for example.
When would these new times go into effect?	If approved at the June regular meeting of the LCS Board of Education, the proposed times would be in effect for the 2021-22 school year. Update: Proposed times have been approved.

New Start/End Times for 2021-22 School Year

School	Start Time	End Time
Lapeer High School	7:25 a.m.	2:10 p.m.
Community HS	7:31 a.m.	2:10 p.m.
Zemmer 8-9 Campus	7:25 a.m.	2:10 p.m.
Rolland-Warner 6-7 Campus	7:46 a.m.	2:27 p.m.
Lynch Elementary	8:44 a.m.	3:40 p.m.
Murphy Elementary	8:44 a.m.	3:40 p.m.
Schickler Elementary	8:44 a.m.	3:40 p.m.
Turrill Elementary	8:54 a.m.	3:50 p.m.