COAL GROVE — School starting times will remain essentially the same for students in the Dawson-Bryant Local School District when they return for the fall.

The board of education met for a special meeting Friday to rescind a resolution that was passed this summer that significantly changed starting and dismissal times for both school complexes.

The resolution was rescinded to ensure bus drivers had adequate time to run their routes.

“For the safety of our students, we would just like to explore the option for next year,” Superintendent Dennis DeCamp said.

At the elementary school, school will be in session from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

For the high school and middle school, school will be in session from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. The dismissal time is 5 minutes earlier than last year.

High school principal Steve Easterling attended the meeting Friday and told the board he had spoken with eight of the bus drivers at a meeting earlier in the week and that they would be willing to work on the changes for next year.

Initially, the time changes would have allowed older siblings at the high school and middle school a chance to get home first, so the younger children wouldn’t be home alone.

The board also discussed the possibility of purchasing a Transfinder software program to schedule and make the district’s bus routes more efficient.

DeCamp said, if the county board of education bought the program for all the district’s to use, Dawson-Bryant’s cost would be cheaper.

“I think all students would benefit from a more efficient bus route,” DeCamp said.

“I would like to see the whole county get involved in it, then look at the expense,” said board member Jim Beals.