Staggered starts will be adopted at several Burnaby high schools next year to address overcrowding.
In a news release Wednesday, School District 41 confirmed that four of its eight high schools would adopt a five-block schedule for the 2025-2026 school year.
The schools affected include Alpha Secondary, Burnaby Central Secondary, Burnaby Mountain Secondary and Moscrop Secondary.
The district says it expects to create 10 per cent more capacity with the extended school day.
In a statement, Burnaby School District superintendent Karim Hachlaf said officials were “mindful” of the impact on students, staff and families.
He adds the move was not an easy decision, but a necessary one.
“We have a responsibility to find an immediate way to accommodate both the students we have now, and the new ones expected next year,” he said.
In October, the school district informed parents it was considering the strategy at five secondary schools because of significant enrolment growth.
It says that Burnaby North Secondary will not adopt staggered schedules, and further measures will be taken to manage existing space to accomodate anticipated growth for the next school year.
The strategy of expanding the school day to increase capacity has been implemented elsewhere in the Lower Mainland in response to challenges of overcrowding.
Several Surrey high schools adopted staggered schedules this past September.