Kindergartners in the Mars Area School District are starting their school day in the gym rather than the classroom, and that has some parents upset.

The youngsters are spending time in the gym because their teachers' planning period was moved recently to first thing in the morning.

The district doesn't have enough teachers in gym, music and art to teach those subjects to the kindergarten classes, so the kindergarten teachers have to teach them, which doesn't allow time for them to have a planning period.

To give the teachers time to plan, kindergarten pupils whose buses arrive early are being sent to the gym, where they are to sit with their backs to the wall until the bell rings at 9 a.m.

Then, parent Julie Wright told the school board Tuesday, it takes at least 20 minutes for the youngsters to walk to the classrooms, unload their backpacks, turn in papers and chat with the teacher about their evening at home.

"They're being shortchanged academically," she said. "Their social time is taken away. There are already days when they don't have recess."

A teacher planning period is mandated by the district's contract with the Mars Area Education Association.

"We owe the teachers that half-hour," Superintendent William Pettigrew said.

The planning period initially was scheduled from 3:30 to 4 p.m., but many kindergarten pupils need help from their teachers to find their bus or make it to the bus on time. So the planning period was moved to the beginning of the day, he said.

The problem was exacerbated when many bus pickup times were scheduled earlier to accommodate stops at three elementary buildings, one of which opened this year. All students from kindergarten through sixth grade ride the same buses.

Some kindergarten students are arriving at school as early as 8:30 a.m., Dr. Pettigrew said.

"We're letting busing drive our curriculum," parent Melissa Ola said.

Dr. Pettigrew said he is to meet with the kindergarten teachers this week to talk about the matter.

In other business, the school board approved applying for a grant from Highmark for its Healthy High 5 bullying prevention program.

The program focuses on the bystanders, rather than bullies or their victims, teaching other kids to intervene to stop bullying when they see it, said Ian Magness, principal of the Centennial School.

"Creating a negative stigma around bullying at Centennial is a passion of mine," Mr. Magness said.

Five school districts in Western Pennsylvania will be chosen to have the program fully funded by Highmark at $30,000 over three years, he said.

The school board also approved a contract with Global Connect, a New Jersey-based company, for a rapid communication service, which will allow the district to call 800 numbers per minute in case of an emergency or other need.

"We have a particular need to contact parents quickly in case of emergency," Dr. Pettigrew said. "Our current system takes a long time."

The district will get a free three-month trial of the system and then it will cost $2 per student per year, said Business Manager Jill Puryear. That will drop to $1.80 if the Midwestern Intermediate Unit, which serves school districts in Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties, endorses it for their members, she said.

The system also will be used to notify parents of student absences and other messages. The system can accommodate six phone numbers and one e-mail address for each student.

Dr. Pettigrew addressed concerns about a staph infection in the schools. He said parents became concerned after the athletic director asked athletes to take their gear home and wash it "so we don't have staph infections," he said.

"Believe it or not, there are some people who don't wash their athletic equipment."