Phoenixville School Board Decides To Push Back School Start Times

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — The Phoenixville school board voted on Thursday night to push back the school start times students by about 30 to 45 minutes.

The decision, which was approved by a vote of 6-3, was met with surprise by some members of the school community who were not aware of the pending vote.

The vote comes as the result of an 18-month long “sleep exploration” study executed by the board, which included a steering committee and advisory team comprised of students, parents, teachers, members of the Phoenixville community, and other administrators.

Beginning with the 2019-20 school year, the high school and middle school will begin at around 8:05 a.m., and end at around 3:15 p.m. The elementary start will be no later than 9:05 a.m. and end no later than 3:55 p.m. A spokesperson for the school district said that none of these times are yet set in stone, and that the district is working to make the elementary school times, in particular, a bit earlier.

"We recognize this is an emotional issue for our community," the school board said in a statement. "While many will applaud this decision, we know there are probably an equal number who are disappointed. As a District, we will make every effort to continue to address your questions and concerns as we work together for our children."

The change comes amidst growing national concern about the consequences of sleep deprivation amongst adolescents.

"The District is looking forward to implementing this change in the 2019-2020 school year," said Alan Fegley, PASD Superintendent. "We have a lot of work to do between now and then, but I am committed to making this transition as seamless as possible for all involved."

Three public forums were held, including one on Jan. 10, but some felt that the school board had not been forthcoming enough about publicizing the vote date and giving the public a voice in the proceedings.

“I don't feel there was much notice given to the people about a vote this important coming up,” former borough councilman Michael Kuznar said. “I feel decisions like this need to be more transparent. There are a lot of other school districts that are doing this nationwide. Hopefully the school board has studies to back up its effectiveness."

A total of four options were considered:

• Push start time - HS and MS start 45 minutes later (8:05 a.m.), end at 3:15 p.m.
• Concurrent - HS and MS start 60 minutes later (8:20 a.m.), end at 3:30 p.m.
• Flip start time - HS and MS start 75 minutes later (8:35 a.m.), end at 3:45 p.m.
• Maintain current time - HS and MS start at 7:20 a.m., end at 2:35 p.m.

The board voted to approve the “push start time” option. They described it as a compromise between the steering committee’s 8:10 a.m. start recommendation, and the PAEA recommendation of an 8 a.m. start.

Elementary bus pick-up begins no later than 8:10 a.m. and departs no later than 4:04 p.m. High school and middle school pick-up starts at around 7 a.m. and departs at around 3:18 p.m. Again, these times are subject to some small changes as the district works to finalize the times.

The concurrent start time option was strongly considered, but would’ve involved an estimated additional bus cost of about $1.25 million, the board said.

The approved option will bring an additional $300,000 in busing costs.

Eric Daugherty, school board president, thanked the committee in a statement.

“Your time, consideration, and work were incredibly valuable," he said. "The Board was well-informed by your diligent efforts, and the research and alternatives you shared were very compelling."

Similar initiatives are being explored or adopted in school districts around the country, though logistical concerns can present a significant hurdle.

Teenagers who don't get enough sleep are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, be overweight and underperform academically, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends at least 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep per night, and gives a recommended start time of 8:30 a.m.

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