Morning Roundup: Upper St. Clair plans later start time at high school

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, April 26, 2023:

Upper St. Clair plans later start time at high school

Upper St. Clair School District on Tuesday announced it will push back start times for high school students.

“For at least three decades, our district has explored the possibility of a later start for our high school students to better align with research relative to what’s best for children/adolescents,” Superintendent John T. Rozzo said in a letter to district families. “We are committed to making this happen beginning this fall.”

Currently, high schoolers at Upper St. Clair start their day at 7:30 a.m. That will be pushed back to 8 a.m. at the start of the next academic year.

To coordinate bus schedules, Rozzo said, the district is also tweaking start times for middle and elementary school students.

The plan calls for high schoolers to be dropped off at school between 7:40 and 7:50 a.m., with classes starting at 8 a.m. Dismissal time is scheduled for 2:45 p.m.

Elementary students will be dropped off between 8:20 and 8:30 a.m., with school starting at 8:35 a.m. Their dismissal is slated for 3:05 p.m. Middle school students will be dropped off from 8:40 to 8:50 a.m., with school starting at 8:55. Their dismissal time is scheduled for 3:40 p.m.

Rozzo said district officials are working to finalize the details of the change.

He said the extended day services, which provide school-based care at the district’s elementary schools and Boyce Middle School, will have openings available for additional families who may need to enroll their students for morning care services because of the schedule change.

The school board is slated to vote on the schedule change at its May meeting. District families can provide their feedback online.

Carnegie Library temporarily closing Squirrel Hill site

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill location will be closed Saturday through May 8 for HVAC upgrades. The site is scheduled to reopen May 9.

Book drops will be locked during the closure. The library is telling patrons to hold on to their materials or return them to another nearby library. The library is fine-free, so there will be no charge for people who don’t return their materials during the closure.

Pittsburgh gears up for Walk & Roll to School Day

The city of Pittsburgh is gearing up for its biannual Walk & Roll to School Day on May 10.

Schools can register online to participate in the event. It’s part of the Safe Routes to School program, which aims to increase the number of students who walk or bike to school by offering education, encouragement and safety improvements.

Walk & Roll to School is held in May and October each year and works to bring together families, teachers, staff and other community members to support the idea of offering safe walking and biking routes for students.

The school with the most walkers and bicyclists will win the Golden Sneaker Award, which went to Brookline PreK-8 last May.

Freeze watch issued for Thursday morning

The National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for much of the region from 2 through 8 a.m. Thursday as temperatures are expected to drop.

Their weather forecast shows temperatures dipping to around 34 degrees in Pittsburgh and as low as the high 20s north of the city.

The NWS is warning people to protect tender plants from the cold, as frost and freezing conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation. Exposed outdoor pipes also should be drained or wrapped.

Temperatures in much of the region are expected to fall below freezing Thursday morning. A Freeze Watch has been issued for those areas. If you have sensitive plants, consider bring them inside or covering them tomorrow night. pic.twitter.com/D1mB2DgkCa

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) April 26, 2023

No injuries reported at Wilkinsburg house fire

An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said no one was hurt when a house fire broke out early Wednesday morning in Wilkinsburg.

The fire was reported at a house on the 1300 block of Wood Street around 3 a.m., the dispatcher said, and crews had cleared the scene by a little after 5 a.m.

Tribune-Review news partner WPXI reported that there appeared to be damage to a front porch area.