2022-23 Bell Time Appeals Process

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Dear Families of Hamilton Middle School Students,

You might hear through the grapevine that other schools are submitting bell time change appeals for the 2022-23 school year. However, transportation staffing remains a significant challenge – while we have been fortunate to not have to cut services to students, we are not in a position where we can add resource requirements for next year. Because of the staffing issues, Hamilton is not eligible to submit an appeal, so Hamilton will have to keep the current bell times. 

Here are some other reasons Hamilton will have to remain in Tier 3:

  • Requests to move to Tier 2 (start times from 8:05 to 8:25 A.M.) won’t be accepted because we won’t be able to provide timely transportation because Tier 2 is already at capacity.
  • DPS is not allowing secondary schools to move to Tier 1 because those schools will have to comply with the Healthy Start Resolution starting with the 2023-24 school year.

If you haven’t heard about the Healthy Start Resolution, you can learn about it here. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, starting school later in the morning for middle school and high school students has many benefits, including:

  • Better attendance rates
  • Better academic outcomes
  • Higher graduation rates
  • Fewer instances of depression
  • Reduced caffeine use
  • Fewer car accidents 
  • Better physical and mental health overall

If you have any questions about the Healthy Start Resolution, call the Family and Community Helpline at 720-423-3054. You can also send an email to facehelpline@dpsk12.org.

Thank you,

Albert Samora

Executive Director of Transportation Services

Transportation@dpsk12.org

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DPS Transportation Services | 2909 West 7th Ave., Denver, CO 80204 | (720) 423-4600 | transportation@dpsk12.org | transportation.dpsk12.org