Dive Brief:

• Public schools in Montgomery County, MD, shifted their start times two years ago to accommodate the sleep needs of high schoolers, but the change has caused ripple effects that are making board members rethink the issue this year.
• The Washington Post reports elementary school principals have been particularly vocal, arguing elementary students do not have the stamina to make it through later school days, participation in after-school activities has plummeted, and parents are being forced to drop students off at the school building too early as they leave for work.
• Even though high schools started just 20 minutes later during the 2015-16 school year — 7:45 a.m. instead of 7:25 a.m. — some parents have seen the benefits for their own children and want to keep the later schedule, but unions representing principals, administrators and teachers have urged a return to the 2014-15 schedule.

Dive Insight:

In city schools where busing is not the responsibility of districts, shifting the start time for high schoolers can happen without a cascading effect through the earlier grade levels. In Montgomery County, like most districts nationwide, school buses that first pick up high school students and drop them off at their buildings circle back for elementary and middle school students next. Starting the earlier group later necessarily means starting everyone later.

While research is clear about the benefits of a later school day for teenagers, the issue has been a minefield for districts that attempt to get serious about a fix. At the high school level, especially, after-school activities are a critical part of many students’ days and significantly later start times can get in the way of them. In Rhode Island, dozens of students held a rally in October to protest a proposed 50-minute later start time specifically because of extracurricular activities and sports schedules.