Columbia school board reviews proposal to adjust school day start, end times for next year lancasteronline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lancasteronline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When: Columbia Borough school board meeting, April 5.
What happened: The district has proposed delaying student start times at its elementary and Taylor Middle School campuses for the 2021-22 school year.
Background: In accordance with the latest research from various leading health organizations, school districts across Lancaster County have considered implementing later start times to match adolescent sleep patterns and reduce potential anxiety, irritability and other mental and physical health issues. This delayed schedule, according to Superintendent Ashley Rizzo, would help the district maximize instructional minutes, provide additional time for professional development, and aid families who drop off learners in the morning at multiple buildings.
If you thought being a public school superintendent is tough, try being a superintendent during a pandemic. In your first year. In a poor, underfunded school district with high administrative turnover.
Thatâs the situation Ashley Rizzo, who took over as Columbia Borough School District superintendent in January, finds herself in.
Columbia, Lancaster Countyâs smallest school district, has the second-highest percentage of low-income students in the county. School funding advocates say itâs chronically underfunded. And Rizzo, 36, the former principal at Wickersham Elementary School in the School District of Lancaster, represents Columbiaâs eighth superintendent change in 15 years.
Despite the challenges in front of her at Columbia, Rizzo, in an interview with LNP | LancasterOnline Friday, said sheâs already come to appreciate the small, urban school district and its community.