Discipline incidents during the middle of the school day have dropped 52% from the same time period last year since Palmerton Area High School changed its bell schedule this fall, Principal Paula Husar told the school board Wednesday night.

Tardy-to-class referrals fell from 12 to three over the same period, a 75% decrease. Grades are up slightly in the first few months.

Husar, however, did not present the new schedule as a clear win.

“If we thought that this schedule was going to be tremendous, we would have done it a long time ago,” she said.

The change replaced a 60-minute midday enrichment period that rotated around three lunch periods with a standalone 40-minute block the school calls Bomber Block. Class blocks grew from 76 minutes to 80. Transition time between classes went from four minutes to five. Lunch moved later, with the first period starting at 11:05 a.m. instead of 10:10 a.m.

The student day did not change. It still runs from 7:30 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.

“We put in a lot of measures to make it much more structured,” Husar said. “The walking of the halls, the leaving enrichment, the skipping enrichment, the disruption has really been reduced.”

The trade-offs landed where administrators expected.

Special education students lost time. Of the 40 minutes in Bomber Block, 20 go to reteaching. That leaves less time, Husar said, for extra help and makeup work, and less time for staff to complete required paperwork.

Clubs and activities also took a hit. Athletes once used the longer period to meet with club advisers during the day. Most clubs now meet after school, which conflicts with practice and games.

“There are benefits to clubs and activities, and my grave concern is that students won’t be able to take part in those clubs and activities if everything is held at the end (of the day),” director Brandon Mazepa said. “It gives a student a sense of belonging, something to look forward to, but also the ability to hone in on leadership opportunities that we really can’t learn in a book.”

Husar said the district tracks club participation and will compare this year against last.

Cafeteria staff, she added, prefer the old schedule. Husar said they had to change work hours, which forced adjustments to family routines and child care. The new schedule does give them a break between lunches to clean and restock.

Administrators spent about a year on the change. A scheduling committee was revived, and students, parents and staff were surveyed. Student response, Husar said, was thin.

“The kids definitely learned a hard lesson, because not many of them filled out that survey,” she said. “Sometimes when the kids come in to complain, I say, ‘Well, you see the importance. When you’re asked your opinion, you better give it.’ ”

Board member Danielle Paules asked for copies of the surveys and a follow-up round next year.

No major changes are coming before June. Husar said the district could ease some restrictions, such as the 20 minutes of reteaching, during Bomber Block if the data supports it.

“We’re going to see the schedule through for the entire year,” she said. “The goal has to remain the same: provide the best possible learning and teaching environment.”