From the Superintendent

Dear Families,

We are excited to share updates on the innovative changes being recommended to enhance school experiences for students and staff. Now is the time to ensure we are preparing students for their future, not our past.

These recommendations, developed by the Innovative School Experience Design teams and our operational committee and consultant, include adjustments to school day hours and transportation schedules to better align with the evolving needs of our youth and the future workforce.

The district has presented the rationale for these changes at the November Focus 203 Event, the January Focus 203 Event and the January 21st Board of Education meeting.

Please visit our Innovative School Experience webpage for additional information to submit questions or comments.

Research supports later start times for adolescents, improving their well-being and meeting their physiological needs. Moving elementary schools to start first minimizes the need for before-school care. It also ensures that buses are available during the day for field trips and extracurricular activities. Middle schools will end last, allowing high schools to finish earlier to support participation in conference events at varying distances from Naperville, participate in internships, and seek/retain employment. Middle school events will still begin at the same times as currently scheduled, as students previously left for conference events at 3:45 PM and our plans allow that to continue. Currently, many high school students who utilize transportation arrive at school 60 minutes before the school day begins to accommodate the junior high and elementary routes. These operational changes shorten bus routes and ensure nearly all buses drop off close to the start of the school day and are waiting at dismissal.

Proposed Changes & Schedules

Early Childhood Schedule

Elementary Schedule

Middle School Schedule

High School Schedule

Next Steps

On February 3rd, our team will present our proposal to the Board of Education for the changes outlined in the presentations and the proposed school day hours and schedules below.

We are continuing to collaborate with our community partners and organizations to ensure before/after school care and student activities remain available to our students.

For additional information, visit our Innovative School Experience FAQ page on our district website which will be updated every 48 hours during the week. Over the next few weeks, we will increase communication to the community on this topic. If you have questions or would like to share feedback, please use the Let’s Talk platform ISE topic.

In Partnership,

Dan Bridges