Approved Bell Time Changes for 2022-2023

Posted On Friday April 22, 2022

Attn:  Families and all students in Grades 7-12

Durham Student Transportation Services (DSTS) presented a report to the DDSB’s Board of Trustees n Tuesday, April 19, 2022, which includes a chart outlining the changes to bell times across the system that have now been approved and will take effect in September 2022. Schools with changing bell times will have their websites updated in the summer prior to the start of the 2022-2023 school year with the new school day start and end times.

Routing information for those eligible for transportation will be available in mid to late August 2022, can be accessed through the DSTS automated phone line at 905-666-6979 and through the DSTS Parent Portal. Families can sign up for the Parent Portal by visiting www.dsts.on.ca and clicking on the yellow ‘Track Your Student/Child’s Bus button.’

As communicated in February, some bell times were proposed to change for the 2022-2023 school year. DSTS hosted a public consultation process, which included two public information sessions, emails to school communities, a ThoughtExchange, and a public survey. In addition, a follow-up survey was conducted among staff, students, and families of some high schools and their feeder school Grade 8 students where a choice between either an 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. or a 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. school day could be accommodated without significant impact on the bell times of other schools. We appreciate the families and students that reviewed the information, attended a public information session and filled out the survey or took part in the ThoughtExchange.

Bell times and busing schedules are a complex, interconnected system. A small change to the bell time of one school can have a ripple effect on the bell times of multiple other schools, increased ride times, or bus availability for other students. In addition, in Durham Region and across Ontario, there is a shortage of school bus drivers.

We know that adjusting to bell time changes can be challenging for families and does not impact everyone equally. The 2022-2023 bell time changes are a ‘best case under current constraints’ scenario that will ensure consistent transportation services continue for eligible students. However, we remain committed to identifying other solutions and working with partners like Durham Region Transit (DRT) to explore long-term solutions, specifically for secondary school bell times as the group most impacted by this update.

Thank you again for your participation in the consultation process.

Sincerely,

Durham District School Board on behalf of Durham Student Transportation Service (DSTS)