7 | durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, March 31, 2022 | We have child-safe window treatments covered. Looking for ways to make your home more kid-friendly? At Budget Blinds, we get it and we have you covered. Our Smart Home Collection motorized window treatments and retrofitting capabilities make childproofing your home easy for every style and budget. © 2022 Budget Blinds, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Budget Blinds is a trademark of Budget Blinds, LLC and a Home Franchise Concepts Brand. Each franchise independently owned and operated. Ajax, Pickering,Whitby | 647-560-4510 budgetblinds.com/en-ca/ajax FREE Cordless Lift Upgrade on window coverings* *Excludes shutters, drapery Lutron Serena shades & Verticals. Offer expires Midnight Apr 29, 2022Motorize RetrofitGo Cordless Family Owned And Operated Since 1953Family Owned And Operated Since 1953 733 KINGSTON RD. E. AJAX MON-WED/SAT: 9AM-6pM, THURS/FRI: 9AM-7pM SUN AND HOlIDAyS: 10AM-5pM @macmillanorchards1953 XL BLACK TIGER SHRIMP UNBEATABLE PRICE! $13.99 - 340 gm (reg. $25-$30) VEGGIE CHICKEN PIES 3 FOR $10 (reg. $6.99 each) OKRA FLASH FROZEN READY TO USE $1.99 FOR 1 kg As work continues to plan bell times for 2022-23, some high schools in Durham will be surveyed on whether an 8 a.m. start time or 10 a.m. start time is preferred. A new report says feedback will be gathered from families at Brooklin High School, Donald A. Wilson Secondary School, O'Neill CVI, Pickering High School, Pine Ridge Secondary School and Port Perry High School. According to Durham Student Transportation Services -- which buses more than 18,000 students in Durham -- those schools are ones where either start time can be accommodated without the need for significantly more buses and drivers. Durham District School Board and Durham Catholic District School Board high schools moved to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. bell times during the pandemic, as the result of a school bus driver shortage. When officials set out to plan bell times for 2022-23, one of the goals was scrapping the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule. Many students say it impacts their ability to work at part-time jobs, do extracurricular activities or provide after-school care to siblings. However, a public consultation that took place this winter revealed families also have concerns about a proposal to move some high schools to an 8 a.m. start. An 8 a.m. bell is proposed for Pickering High School, Brooklin High School, Donald A. Wilson Secondary School, O'Neill CVI, Port Perry High School, Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School and Uxbridge Secondary School. At the DDSB's March 21 board meeting Oshawa trustee Darlene Forbes raised concerns that an 8 a.m. start could be a problem for high schools with specialty programs that pull in students from across the region -- the arts program at O'Neill CVI is an example. "I understand that this is fraught with difficulties either way ... it could pose a real access problem for people who are out of the district if an 8 a.m. bell time is chosen there. Equity to an arts education and access is quite important," Forbes said. Trustee Niki Lundquist said families in Whitby have concerns about a "a situation of inequity" if some students end the school day at 2 p.m. and others finish at 4 p.m. and how that impacts access to after-school programs and jobs. Out of 170 schools in total, bell time changes from pre-pandemic schedules are being proposed for 49. Some high schools in Durham will be surveyed to determine whether an 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. start time is preferred. Metroland file photo SOME SCHOOLS TO BE SURVEYED ON 8 A.M. VS. 10 A.M. START TIME NEWS JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com BELL TIME CHANGES FROM PRE-PANDEMIC SCHEDULES PROPOSED FOR 49 SCHOOLS OUT OF 170