Later School Start--Better Scores and More
Tuesday evening I travelled back in time. I joined over 100 parents of school children at the meeting held in the cafeteria of South Lakes High School to give the Fairfax County School Board feedback on options for later school start times. My seat was at one of 22 round tables seating 5 to 8 participants each. At my table, there were 6 parents--5 mothers, 1 father, and me. The meeting was one of several around the County enabling the School Board to get broad input from the community as the Board considers four possible start time options. Sleep is especially important to high school age teens. Shortage of sleep is a problem for Fairfax County teens who now start classes at 7:20 AM, with some leaving home before 6 AM to catch their buses. Fairfax is in a minority in VA and nationwide. Most high schools start later, even much later. As with any policy change in Fairfax County, the deliberative process is glacial. In this case, serious discussion began over 10 years ago. An excellent summary of research data from the National Children’s Medical Center was shared with participants before discussion began at the tables about advantages and disadvantages of the four options under consideration. The data was impressive and compelling. Studies show clearly that inadequate sleep for adolescents negatively impacts their health, safety and school performance. And, the research shows that later school start times yield important benefits for teenagers: attendance improves, tardiness and drop-out rates decline, and test scores and grades improve, often significantly. Teens tend to be healthier. Moods improve and rates of depression fall. And, they are safer as measured by reduced automobile crashes and reduced sports-related injuries. So, what in the world are the downsides to making these no-brainer changes in school schedules? School transportation logistics will need adjustment and families’ schedules will, too. But, later start times (an hour to an hour & 40 minutes) work fine in nearby Alexandria and Loudoun County as well as elsewhere in Virginia and around the country. Some teachers expressed concerns about potentially longer work hours. Indeed, schedules may have to be adjusted, or additional teachers hired. Workable. Three or four staffers of the Fairfax County Park Authority spoke of concern about less than optimal use of sports fields if later start times were adopted. That is, practices would have to start later. While I understand wanting efficient use of ball diamonds, I have a hard time equating that concern with the major health, safety and academic performance benefits for our youth. In fact, a couple of the mothers at our table seemed to think a bit less time dedicated to sports might be a silver lining. One mentioned her concern about ACL (knee ligament) tears in teen girls playing lacrosse. The other mentioned some boys having Tommy John surgery to rebuild injured pitching elbows. Serious injuries for high schoolers. When the 22 tables reported the results of their discussions of the four options, ranging from little change up to one hour and 40 minute later starts, the opinions of the South Lakes parents and community were overwhelmingly in favor of the two latest start time options. Majorities at 19 of the 22 tables said so. At our table, the vote was 6-0 in favor of going to a start time of 9:00 AM—a significant change from the current 7:20 AM start. Imagine Fairfax County youths with less depression and illness, fewer accidents or sports injuries, and better grades!
Tuesday evening I travelled back in time. I joined over 100 parents of school children at the meeting held in the cafeteria of South Lakes High School to give the Fairfax County School Board feedback on options for later school start times. My seat was at one of 22 round tables seating 5 to 8 participants each. At my table, there were 6 parents--5 mothers, 1 father, and me. The meeting was one of several around the County enabling the School Board to get broad input from the community as the Board considers four possible start time options. Sleep is especially important to high school age teens. Shortage of sleep is a problem for Fairfax County teens who now start classes at 7:20 AM, with some leaving home before 6 AM to catch their buses. Fairfax is in a minority in VA and nationwide. Most high schools start later, even much later. As with any policy change in Fairfax County, the deliberative process is glacial. In this case, serious discussion began over 10 years ago. An excellent summary of research data from the National Children’s Medical Center was shared with participants before discussion began at the tables about advantages and disadvantages of the four options under consideration. The data was impressive and compelling. Studies show clearly that inadequate sleep for adolescents negatively impacts their health, safety and school performance. And, the research shows that later school start times yield important benefits for teenagers: attendance improves, tardiness and drop-out rates decline, and test scores and grades improve, often significantly. Teens tend to be healthier. Moods improve and rates of depression fall. And, they are safer as measured by reduced automobile crashes and reduced sports-related injuries. So, what in the world are the downsides to making these no-brainer changes in school schedules? School transportation logistics will need adjustment and families’ schedules will, too. But, later start times (an hour to an hour & 40 minutes) work fine in nearby Alexandria and Loudoun County as well as elsewhere in Virginia and around the country. Some teachers expressed concerns about potentially longer work hours. Indeed, schedules may have to be adjusted, or additional teachers hired. Workable. Three or four staffers of the Fairfax County Park Authority spoke of concern about less than optimal use of sports fields if later start times were adopted. That is, practices would have to start later. While I understand wanting efficient use of ball diamonds, I have a hard time equating that concern with the major health, safety and academic performance benefits for our youth. In fact, a couple of the mothers at our table seemed to think a bit less time dedicated to sports might be a silver lining. One mentioned her concern about ACL (knee ligament) tears in teen girls playing lacrosse. The other mentioned some boys having Tommy John surgery to rebuild injured pitching elbows. Serious injuries for high schoolers. When the 22 tables reported the results of their discussions of the four options, ranging from little change up to one hour and 40 minute later starts, the opinions of the South Lakes parents and community were overwhelmingly in favor of the two latest start time options. Majorities at 19 of the 22 tables said so. At our table, the vote was 6-0 in favor of going to a start time of 9:00 AM—a significant change from the current 7:20 AM start. Imagine Fairfax County youths with less depression and illness, fewer accidents or sports injuries, and better grades!
