Updated: Jan. 18, 2022

Due to changes in the California Education Code, Oak Park High School will need to adjust its bell schedule for the 2022-2023 school year. 

“I’m a little bit frustrated that the state of California instituted a law that’s — I hate to use the word — messed-up,” English Department Chair Kathy Bowman said. “[They’ve] taken a program that we’ve developed that seems to be very effective, and now we have to accommodate … It takes the power away from local districts.”

Senate Bill No. 328 requires that “the school day for middle schools and high schools, including those operated as charter schools, to begin no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., respectively, by July 1, 2022.” 

Therefore, OPHS classes that take place before 8:30 a.m. cannot be counted as instructional minutes. Zero periods, which previously did count toward this daily requirement, will not once this law goes into effect.

However, according to Section 46148 of the Education Code, this bill does not prohibit school districts from having any activities before 8:30 a.m. (example: zero periods), they just will not count towards OPHS’ instructional minutes. 

“Per CA EdCode, a school must have 64,800 instructional minutes in a given school year … Students must have at least 240 instructional minutes on average over any two block days with no single day of instruction at less than 180 minutes,” OPHS assistant principal, Natalie Smith, wrote in an email to teachers who volunteered to help brainstorm solutions for the new Education Code.

Meetings to discuss changes in the bell schedule started on Nov. 30, 2021, when a ‘Bell Schedule Committee’ was created and composed of teachers and site administrators. This group formulated a variety of different bell schedule options, and then on Dec. 8, a second meeting was held that involved the original Bell Schedule Committee as well as, district administrators, parents, students, and a board member. 

On Dec. 17 site and district administrators met with school union representatives, and on Dec. 21 the same group that was invited to the second meeting returned to conclude what bell schedule options should be forwarded to staff to vote on. 

“The final bell schedule options will be formally presented to [teachers] on January 10 at our staff meeting.  At the January 18, 2022 Board of Education Meeting, these options will be presented to the Board for discussion and recommendations. On January 25 [teachers] will have an opportunity to vote on each of the options listed below. We need a 75% faculty approval vote on at least one of the options presented to avoid a runoff vote. The Board of Education will be requested to approve the adoption of the bell schedule for 2022-23 at a Special Board Meeting in February,” Mat McClenahan wrote in an email that went out to OPHS teachers right before the end of Winter Break.

Dec. 3, 2021

A meeting is set to take place Dec. 8 that includes all stakeholder groups, with the goal to have two or three options for a revised OPHS bell schedule by the end of the meeting. Ideas will then be presented to OPHS staff and the OPUSD School Board for review and approval. 

Due to changes in the California Education Code, Oak Park High School will need to adjust its bell schedule for the 2022-2023 school year. 

Senate Bill No. 328 requires “the school day for middle schools and high schools, including those operated as charter schools, to begin no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., respectively, by July 1, 2022.” 

Therefore, OPHS classes that take place before 8:30 a.m. cannot be counted as instructional minutes starting on July 1, 2022. 

However, according to Section 46148 of the Education Code, this bill does not prohibit school districts from having any activities before 8:30 a.m. (example: zero periods), they just will not count towards OPHS’ instructional minutes. 

“Per CA EdCode, a school must have 64,800 instructional minutes in a given school year … Students must have at least 240 instructional minutes on average over any two block days with no single day of instruction at less than 180 minutes,” OPHS assistant principal, Natalie Smith, wrote in an email to teachers who volunteered to help brainstorm solutions for the new Education Code.

“Having this completed before February 1 is ideal as we need to proceed with Course Advisement in the Spring with students and teachers having all the info[rmation] about how a school day will look,” Smith wrote.