PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles elementary school students won’t be starting classes at a later time Wednesdays during the coming school year.

Many parents of elementary school students protested the proposed late starts, prompting the School Board to reverse its previous decision.

The late start issue was the subject of lengthy discussion during Monday night’s School Board meeting.

Middle and high school students, however, will be on the later schedule each Wednesday.

The high school and Stevens Middle School have been operating on late-start schedules for several years.

Late start protested

Elementary school parents voiced opposition to starting school 1-hour late each Wednesday after receiving a letter from Superintendent Gary Cohn last month which outlined the School Board approved measure.

Parents said late-start would result in too much lost instructional time, cause parents to lose income or pay more in day care fees and could cause children to be left unsupervised.

School Board members hoped standardizing district-wide late-start Wednesdays would save $11,000 in transportation costs during the 2003-04 school year said Assistant Superintendent Ron Spanjer.

————————————-

The rest of this story appears in Wednesday’s Peninsula Daily News.