If you want to get a seat at the next regular meeting of the Lower Merion School Board, you’d better get there early – like really early. The meeting is scheduled for January 27, 8:00 PM in Board Room of the School Administration building.
If the turnout for the January 13 meeting (when the subject of start times wasn’t even on the agenda) is any indication, the room will be packed and the atmosphere will be charged.
The school district has floated a proposal that would move the start time for elementary school kids from 9:00 to 7:45. That change would accomodate a change for high school start times from 7:30 to 8:25
The school district has devoted a whole page on its website to the topic of Sleep and School Start Times
The website includes a link to this 10-minute video.
Summary of the Video
- LMSD has been looking at changing school start times “to better align with sleep patterns of adolescents for about five years.”
- American Academy Of Pediatrics had recommended high schools should start at 8:30 or later.
- According to survey, 66% of LMSD high school students get fewer than recommended eight hours sleep. Average is only 6.5 hours.
- Changing school schedules not easy
- Advisory Committee formed. Committee included teachers, administrators, students, parents and guardians and leaders of local businesses and organizations.
- Committee spent three full days with a facilitator from tregoED
- Committee determined some non-negotiable criteria “musts.”
- State minimums for instructional time
- Requirements for Special Ed. Students
- Transportation for Public and Non Public students
- High Priorities
- Maximize student engagement, participation, learning and academic performance
- Maximize safety of students
- Maximize opportunities of for optimal sleep
- Other “wants”
- Maximize budget efficiency
- Balance school and non-school activities
- Allow enough time for homework and other “out of school” commitments
- Minimize negative impacts on traffic
- Top performeing models
- Two-Tier Schedule (Too expensive)
- Current Schedule (High school kids not getting enough sleep)
- Re-ordered Schedule (This is what they recommend)
- Concerns with Re-ordered Schedule
- Little kids waiting for busses in the dark – kids won’t be picked up before 7:00. Earliest “civil dawn” is 7:03
- Potential difficulties scheduling middle school activities
- Community resistance to added lighting
- Staffing problems for late bus runs
- Childcare needs
- Community traffic patterns
- Commute times for staff