Douglas County has extended the school day for all middle and high school students. The state of Colorado has a requirement of 1,080 hours of instructional time per year for secondary schools. Elementary schools are required to meet for 990 hours of instructional time per year. These requirements provide more teacher student contact.

Although the elementary schools already meet state requirements, it was impossible to change the middle and high school schedules without affecting all the schools and bus routes. In order to meet these time requirements at Rocky Heights and Rock Canyon, arrival and dismissal times may have changed for all students.

Both Buffalo Ridge and Timber Trail Elementary will start at 9 a.m. and dismiss at 3:50 p.m. Rocky Heights Middle School will start at 7:55 a.m., and dismiss at 3:07 p.m. Rock Canyon High School will start at 7:20 a.m., and dismiss at 2:32 p.m. For additional information on these time changes log on to the Douglas County website at www.dcsdk12.org.