Ridgefield BOE Reverses Course On Start Times

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Ridgefield Public Schools middle and high schoolers won't be getting that extra sleep after all. The school board rescinded its decision to push back school start times.

Some board members said there were still issues to be worked out, including the fact that the school system doesn't have a permanent superintendent and some athletes would have to leave class early to attend games, according to the News-Times.

It's believed that pushing back start times would've cost the district another $2.7 million. Another estimated pegged the extra cost at $1.58 million.

A recent small study conducted in Seattle found that student grades were on average 4.5 points higher with later start times.

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement in 2014 that encouraged school districts to start middle and high school classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. due to a change in adolescents' biological clocks.

During puberty a teenager's biological bedtime is closer to midnight and asking a teen to be in class at 7:30 a.m. is the equivalent of asking an adult to be at work for 5:30 a.m., according to NPR.

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