Mayor Supports Proposal To Start School Day Later: Report

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert has reportedly joined a group of people voicing their support for starting the school day at Princeton High School and John Witherspoon Middle School later.

Lempert was among a group of former school board members and parents who signed a letter in support of starting the school day later, the Princeton Packet reports.

The proposal would change the school day schedule so that both the high school and the John Witherspoon Middle School days would run from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., and the elementary school day would run from 8:10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Currently, the high school day runs from 7:50 a.m. to 2:51 p.m.; John Witherspoon Middle School students are in class from 8:30 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.; and elementary school runs from 8:25 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the report. The district will get feedback from parents, teachers and students before making any final decision.

Concerns about the school day schedule came from a survey in which more than 80 percent of students in the district said they are often or always stressed by schoolwork. Only 15 percent said they truly enjoy learning during the school day.

Students are also spending between three and three and a half hours a night on homework, and getting between six and six and a half hours of sleep a night. During a review of the survey in April, the district learned that about 47 percent of students miss one or more days of school each month because of a stress-related or emotional problem.

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Patch file photo