Assistant Superintendent Amy Dudley said in light of recent events here, the school district will continue to practice monthly scenarios and find more ways to ensure safety in all 15 schools.

“I think with the things that have been going at the high school, (I’m) just very thankful for the administration and the staff at the high school, for Carmel police, our SROs, just how quickly they responded and did a very good job in some trying times,” Dudley said.

In other news, Dudley said the district is looking at the possibility of extending the elementary school day, as well as having the secondary day start at a later time. She said for the past two years, the district has worked on program evaluations at the elementary level and the recommendations that came out of that were that there needs to be time for subject instruction, inquiry and innovation, and unstructured play. These needs could extend the current six and a half hour day to a seven hour day.

Dudley also said that there has been a lot of interest in having later start times for the school day for secondary students.

“There is a lot of research out there that really does support (that) teenagers’ natural clock works better when they’re up later and then start their day later. It works better because that is more in tune with their natural rhythms,” Dudley said.

“I think I’d like (having school start later) but at the same time, I don’t really want to be at school very late,” junior Ali Senften said. “So it might be more effective to wake up early, but it’d also be nice to get more sleep.”

Dudley said the school board is still searching for a new superintendent and hopes to have one in place by July 1.