Henry County elementary schools will start earlier and middle schools will begin later in the upcoming academic year that kicks off Aug. 3.

The district is moving elementary school start times to 7:35 a.m., which is 10 minutes earlier than the previous year, the south metro Atlanta school system said. School will end at 2:15 p.m., 10 minutes earlier than past dismissals.

The school day will begin at 9 a.m. for middle school students, 15 minutes later than last year. The end of the school day moves back five minutes to 4 p.m.

“When examining the impacts on our school day, oftentimes we would see various transportation delays as the main interruptions and cause a ripple effect across all levels of school, Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis said in a news release.

“An overwhelming number of disruptions were out of our control, but our goal with these latest school bell adjustments is to minimize any negative impacts to our learners, employees, and families,” Davis said.

“Programs such as the elementary Afterschool Enrichment Program and the new middle school Before School Enrichment Program are in place to help families with scheduling support around a parent or guardian’s work schedules,” the district said. “The afterschool program runs from the end of the school day until 6 p.m. each day and is filled with educational activities to support learning.”

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