Poudre School District looks at pushing back start times

Update: Poudre School District announced additional changes to school start times July 2019. For the most recent bell schedules, go to https://www.psdschools.org/newbellschedules.

Students at Poudre School District could soon start catching some extra zzz's as the district considers changing school start times.

PSD high schools and middle schools currently start between 7:25 and 8:15 a.m. The district is considering bumping those start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

The district sent out an electronic survey Feb. 26 to staff, high school students, parents and community members. The survey wrapped up March 9.

Board of Education President Christophe Febvre said the district hopes to get a pulse on what the community thinks about the possible change.

“A number of board members are very intrigued by the potential health benefits of later start times,” Febvre said, adding that district staff are still evaluating the results of the survey.

The board will decide whether to move forward in a January 2019 meeting.

Between now and then, the district will hold a public meeting in which community members, parents, students and staff will be able to discuss the survey results and possible options. The district hasn’t yet announced when or what those meetings will look like.

Forums and additional surveys will be held throughout 2018. A final recommendation will be given to the PSD Board of Education in December 2018. If the board decides to implement later start times at the January meeting, the new schedule will begin August 2019.

Cherry Creek School District and Greeley-Evans School District 6 have already made the leap to later start times. Thompson School District announced earlier this year it would change its start times to 8:30 a.m. beginning next year. Jefferson County Schools announced it too would consider making changes.

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According to a 2014 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 59 percent of sixth- to eighth-graders and 87 percent of high school students in the U.S. got less than the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep each night. That can translate into a number of issues, including poorer academic performance, memory impairment, anxiety and depression, according to the report.

It’s not just about setting earlier bedtimes or managing time better for homework; puberty chances sleep cycles, according to the report. Adolescents and teens have a hard time falling asleep as early as they did when they were younger. Many teens fall asleep best after 11 p.m. and are best suited to waking up at 8 a.m. or later, the report said.

In 2016, the American Medical Association also issued support for start times no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

"Sleep deprivation is a growing public health issue affecting our nation's adolescents, putting them at risk for mental, physical and emotional distress and disorders," wrote William E. Kobler, an American Medical Association board member, in a news release. "Scientific evidence strongly suggests that allowing adolescents more time for sleep at the appropriate hours results in improvements in health, academic performance, behavior, and general well-being.”

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Improving mental health is a big factor in PSD’s consideration of the change, Febvre said, as proper sleep habits can be part of the solution.

Any change to school start times would affect parents, local businesses, students participating in athletics and students who have after-school jobs, Febvre said. He added that that the board spoke with Cherry Creek's school board to see how a large district with many athletic programs navigated the change.

“We expect those concerns,” Febvre said. “The discussions are just starting now.”

Learn more

For more information on the process, research on start times and how to get involved, go to www.psdschools.org/starttimestudy.