Bristol Township unveils new Truman schedule: Fewer classes, shorter lunch and more

Students at Harry S Truman High School can look forward to "Tiger Time."

It’s the Bristol Township high school’s revamped daily class schedule that eliminates an entire class period in the 2025-26 school year. Students are unaffected this year.

It doesn’t mean a shorter day, however. Classes actually are four to five minutes longer, but students will have a daily free-time period — called “Tiger Time” — which can be used as a student decides.

Administrators aim to improve academic achievement with the new schedule, according to the district. Students can use Tiger Time for “remediation” in classes they find difficult, or they can use the time to meet with college recruiters or for “activities geared towards developing their goals for post-high school life,” according to a post to the district’s web page.

But there’s no free lunch. Lunch period is reduced from 48 minutes to 31 minutes, and regular classes will be extended from between four and five minutes each, said Kellie Dietrich, district spokeswoman.

With one class eliminated, requirements for graduation will drop from 25 credits to 22, according to the school district. This drop in credits affects only students graduating in 2026 and beyond.

The free period is a blank canvas for students.

“It’s kind of like study hall,” Dietrich said.

But it can be a lot of things.

“Students are getting more free choice with what they can do with this Tiger Time,” she said. “They’re not just doing homework. They can use it to do other things that they want to do.”

There’s a practical reason for the new arrangement, she said. School assemblies wreak havoc on class times and teacher lesson plans, since assemblies regularly cause kids to miss a class. Under the new system, that ends.

This isn’t a push-back of school start times, which nearby Pennsbury School District adopted recently. Under the revamped schedule, Truman’s school day still begins at 7:13 a.m. and ends at 2:13 p.m.

Dietrich forwarded a comment from Rob Findlay, supervisor for secondary curriculum and instruction, who said:

"The goal (is) to provide time and the ability for students to get intervention that needed it and opportunities for innovative educational experiences and enrichment (dual enrollment, seeing college counselors, differentiated instruction) for students that do not.

" After working through multiple concepts, this proposed schedule for (the 2025-26 school year) captures the needs of the students without sacrificing instructional time that our teaching staff would be working with students."

As for the reduction in credits for graduation, Findlay said:

"The state does not mandate a specific number of credits, however, in order to satisfy the requirements of a high school diploma, it is generally accepted that 21 credits is the minimum requirement," he said. "The state is encouraging schools to achieve that while integrating approaches that allow for innovative educational opportunities such as dual enrollment and work experience programs. The second part of this schedule change is designed to promote that initiative."

Confused? So were some parents who saw the school district’ sample schedule post to social media, Dietrich said.

“That was just a sample. It’s not every student’s schedule,” she said.

You can send questions to Trumanschedule@bristoltwpsd.org . Or, join the school’s curriculum team when it hosts a town hall explainer session on Tuesday, May 14, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Google Meet.

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: New schedule at Truman High School for next year. What you should know