Our primary motivation is the health and well-being of our students, as well as improved outcomes at school. An overwhelming body of research indicates that the current early start times for secondary students are out of sync with their biological clocks. This is not a local trend; it is a national health recommendation from organizations including:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics 
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
• The American Medical Association 
• The American Academy of Sleep Medicine
• The American Psychological Association

Additional benefits could include efficiencies in the Transportation Department by moving toward a triple trip routing system, which would result in students spending less time on the school bus. This continues to be examined

Recommended sleep for students ages 13 to 18 is 8 to 10 hours of sleep. As children enter puberty, their circadian rhythms shift. Adolescents experience a "sleep phase delay," meaning their bodies naturally secrete melatonin (the sleep hormone) later at night (around 11:00 PM) and stop secreting it later in the morning. Asking a teenager to wake up at 6:00 AM is biologically equivalent to asking an adult to wake up at 3:00 AM. Students report gains of 30-60 minutes per night in districts where the time shift has been made, though critics may argue that kids will only stay up later if they do not have to wake up as early.

Source: National Sleep Foundation; adapted from Carskadon, M. A. (2011). Sleep in Adolescents: The Perfect Storm. Pediatric Clinics of North America.

Recommended sleep for students ages 4 to 12 is 9 to 11 hours of sleep. Biologically, younger children are "larks." They naturally wake up earlier and are most alert in the morning. Research shows that early start times have little to no negative impact on elementary students, and that strong bedtime routines mitigate such impact.

1. REM Sleep: The final hours of sleep (early morning) are rich in REM cycles, which are critical for memory consolidation and "cementing" what was learned the previous day.
2. Executive Function: Sleep deprivation hits the prefrontal cortex hardest. This is the area responsible for emotion/impulse control, attention, and complex planning—skills required for high-level academics. 
3. First Period Alertness: Teachers in districts who have shifted times consistently report that students are awake and ready to learn when the bell rings, effectively adding instructional time to the day.
4. Mental Health: Sleep is considered a primary “protective factor” for youth mental health. Districts with later start times report declines in reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, lower rates for risk of self harm, and less likelihood of the use of caffeine, alcohol, and illegal substances.

We understand that athletics and extra-curricular activities are a major part of student life. Our departments who oversee athletics and visual and performing arts find the proposed schedule workable. Many teams and activities do not begin until after 4:00 pm, given the schedules of coaches and officials.

This is a valid concern. While early dismissal may be required for some away games, the net-benefit of being awake and alert during the bulk of the instructional day outweighs occasional early dismissals.

Cost and labor. Running all buses simultaneously would require us to nearly double our fleet and our driver workforce. Given the current national bus driver shortage and budget constraints, a "tiered" system (using the same buses for two or three different runs) is the most fiscally responsible model.

Safety is our top priority. In the winter months, morning darkness is a factor for early shifts. Generally speaking, our elementary routes make more “curb to curb” pick-ups and drop-offs than at the secondary level.

We recognize that many families rely on high schoolers to watch elementary siblings after school. With the schedule shift, elementary students will arrive home before high schoolers. To mitigate this, the district is conducting a focus group with local child care providers to study whether the available capacity matches demand or if alternative methods of childcare are necessary.

Yes, the window for after-school employment may shift slightly later. However, employers in districts that have made this change generally report that students are more productive and punctual because they are not chronically sleep-deprived.