We, the undersigned parents, students, and community members, call on Irvine Unified School District and Northwood High School to revise the current student-athlete early release policy on game days to better protect student safety and support academic balance.

The Current Policy Is Not Safe or Realistic

Under the current practice, student-athletes are permitted to leave class only five minutes early on game days—yet are expected to:

• Gather equipment
• Change into uniforms
• Move to the meeting location and board transportation
• Be ready to compete shortly after arrival

This creates rushed transitions and discourages adequate preparation routines. When warm-ups and preparation time are compressed, the risk of preventable injuries increases and student stress rises.

Pacific Coast League Comparison vs Northwood Release Times Compared

League comparisons show that Northwood athletes receive the least prep time and are released later than peers for both common game start times (This information in this infographic above has been verified and supporting documentation can be provided upon request):

For 3:00 PM games

Northwood: Released 1:40, bus departs 1:45 → 5 minutes allotted

Other PCL schools typically receive on 15-20 minutes:

• Irvine 15 Minutes
• Laguna Hills 20 Minutes
• Portola 20 Minutes
• Sage Hill 10 Minutes
• University 15 Minutes
• Woodbridge 15 Minutes
• Northwood 5 Minutes

Northwood is released the latest (10 minutes later than the next-latest school at 1:30, and 40 minutes later than the earliest at 1:00).

For 3:30 PM games

Northwood: Released 1:55, bus departs 2:00 → 5 minutes allotted

Other PCL schools typically receive 15–20 minutes:

• Irvine 15 Minutes
• Laguna Hills 20 Minutes
• Portola 20 Minutes
• Sage Hill 20 Minutes
• University 15 Minutes
• Northwood 5 Minutes

Northwood is released the latest again (10 minutes later than the next-latest school at 1:45, and 40 minutes later than the earliest at 1:15).

Bottom line: Northwood athletes receive only 5 minutes, which is approximately 66–75% less prep time than league peers who generally receive 20 minutes.

Risk Management & Duty of Care

The current 5-minute transition window creates a foreseeable, preventable risk by compressing changing, equipment collection, and pre-competition preparation. Updating the release policy to a consistent 15–20 minutes on away game days is a reasonable, low-impact step to improve student safety and align with standard school duty-of-care and risk management practices.

Academic Impact

Rushed departures and repeated early dismissals can also undermine learning:

• Loss of instruction and focus: Students often leave class distracted and miss the final portion of lessons.
• Cumulative academic disadvantage: Small, repeated losses of class time add up across a season.
• Increased stress and cognitive load: Tight timelines increase anxiety and reduce readiness for both academics and athletics.

Addressing Classroom Disruption Concerns

We recognize the importance of protecting instructional time. A revised policy can be structured to minimize impact:

Limited scope: Applies only on scheduled away game days and only to participating athletes.
Predictability: Teachers can plan around published schedules.
Better outcomes: Preventing injuries avoids larger, longer absences than a modest earlier release would create.

Our Request

We respectfully urge IUSD and Northwood High School to:

• Immediately revise the early release policy to fall in line with the rest of the Pacific Coast Leagaue to provide athletes at least 20 minutes before bus departure on away game days to gather equipment, change, and safely prepare.
• Adopt this change as a student-safety risk mitigation measure aligned with district duty-of-care practices.
• Create clear, consistent guidelines for coaches, staff, and students so expectations are uniform across teams and seasons.

Documentation of Concern

This petition documents widespread community concerns that the current policy creates unnecessary risks related to student safety, stress, and educational equity, particularly given the league-wide disparity shown in the release and bus-time comparisons above.

Closing Statement

Student-athletes should not have to choose between safety and compliance with an unrealistic schedule. A modest adjustment to release time is a practical solution that supports safe participation, reduces stress, and respects academics.

Sign the Petition

By signing, you support reasonable, safety-focused scheduling that protects Northwood students in both athletics and academics.