ADAMS TWP — A family in the Mars School District is accusing the school board of approving measures to decrease the amount of instructional time for district students.

Amy Nassif told board members Tuesday night their February decision to move the start time at its three elementary buildings from 9 to 9:05 a.m., coupled with moving the time for student arrival from 30 minutes — 8:30 to 9 a.m. — to 15 minutes — 8:50 to 9:05 a.m. — does not give students in kindergarten through sixth grade enough time in the morning.

She said the board is giving A.J. Myers and Sons bus company 15 minutes to do what it took 30 minutes to do last year. She also refused to blame the morning crunch on the Route 228 construction project just west of the elementary buildings.

She said 15 minutes is not enough time to transport 1,700 students to three school buildings.

“I believe that this is not an issue with the buses or construction or A.J. Myers or any drivers,” Nassif said. “You’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.”

Nassif said the students arriving on the final buses in the morning do not have enough time to get into their classrooms, hang up their jackets and get to their desks. She said some students enter the school as the Pledge of Allegiance is being broadcast over the school public address system, and teachers are unable to start class until well after 9:05 a.m.

“That’s lost education time,” Nassif said.

Parent Danielle Mannella said her young daughter is late to class every day and has no time to use the restroom in the morning. She also said her daughter had time last year to use the computer in the library before class began, but she now gets to school as the opening bell rings.

Mannella said students do not have time to eat the breakfast offered in the cafeteria, and are told by teachers they will not have time to eat.

The board changed the elementary students’ arrival time to give teachers a 30-minute planning period in the morning before class. Also, parents last year came to the school board to complain about the district’s youngest students arriving at school too early and waiting to enter their classrooms.

Nassif also cited the board’s decision three years ago to schedule five two-hour delays into the school year for the purpose of data analysis, which shaved another 10 hours from students’ instructional time.

She called the decreases in instructional time “a trend” at Mars, and said the district is inching closer and closer to the state minimum requirement of 937 hours of education per year.

Her husband Robert Nassif agreed, and said moves being made to benefit teachers, administrators and the bus company are at the expense of education.

He asked the board to do a better job for students.

“Is Mars the district that just barely ekes over the bare minimum of (educational) time, or a school district that excels and gives the children more time to learn?” Nassif asked.

Board President Dayle Ferguson said the board is aware of the situation, as are the bus company, the district transportation department and the three building principals.

“This is the first year for the new schedule, and it takes several weeks for everything to settle into place,” Ferguson said.

She encouraged parents to continue telling their concerns to the principals, and she asked administrators to present a recommendation on the situation to the board later.