Parent urges District 303 to push back school start date, citing summer heat and bus riders
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Summary
A parent asked the board to delay the start of the school year later in August and recommended a districtwide survey: she argued historic starts were later, heat and bus rider welfare are concerns, and that other nearby districts start later.
Kelly Ross, a parent of two District 303 students, used her public‑comment time to urge the board to move the school start date later in August. Ross said the district has gradually shifted the start earlier from historically later dates (she cited a kindergarten start on Aug. 19 in a prior year) and questioned why the district now begins before mid‑ to late‑August.
Ross said earlier starts create hotter conditions in August that are “less hospitable, especially for our bus riders,” and noted she had not spoken with any parent or teacher who supported the earlier start. She asked the board to “strongly consider pushing back the start date of the school year to a more reasonable time in August” and to conduct a districtwide survey so “the people's voices be heard.” Ross also referenced the impact on end‑of‑year scheduling and the goal some years to finish before Memorial Day.
The board did not take action at the Aug. 11 meeting in response to Ross’s request. District leaders did not provide a calendaring response during the meeting; trustees said they could add enrollment and scheduling items to upcoming committee agendas for review. Ross suggested the board compare current enrollment and calendar outcomes to the consultant projections used during redistricting.
No statutory or policy citation was made during the public comment. The request was recorded during the public comment period and no vote or formal direction to staff was recorded on the start‑date question at the meeting.