Boise explores major change to school schedules. It wants parents’ feedback
The Boise School District has asked families what it would look like for them if school start times were significantly adjusted.
The district is surveying families, staff and students in grades 7-12 about changing the bell schedules for elementary school students to be about an hour earlier, and having junior high and high school students start school an hour later.
A committee including parents, staff and administrators has been studying this issue for the past two years and wanted to gather feedback from families to see how possible changes could affect them, spokesperson Dan Hollar told the Idaho Statesman.
The proposal comes from research around the sleep patterns of children and teens. Teenagers naturally fall asleep later, so moving the start of school back means students get extra sleep.
“Research links that additional sleep to improved focus, memory, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and even reductions in anxiety, depression, and morning car accidents among teens,” Hollar said in an email, adding that the committee has looked at research from national organizations and academic institutions.
Still, he acknowledged changed start times would come with “real tradeoffs.” Families would have to make adjustments to their schedules, which could include changes to child care, transportation, after-school jobs and athletics.
Survey lays out possible bell changes
The survey asks families to rate how current school start and end times impact various aspects of their lives, including sleep and rest, academic focus, student safety and after-school activities.
It then asks respondents how supportive they would be of changes to schools start times.
According to the chart of potential bell schedules, most students in elementary school would start school at 7:45 a.m. instead of 8:45 a.m., and would also get out an hour earlier at 2:15 p.m. Junior high students would start at 8:45 a.m. instead of 7:45 a.m., and would get out at 3:30 p.m. The start time for most high school students would also be pushed back to 8:45 a.m., but they wouldn’t be released until 4:10 p.m.
A study the district commissioned concluded that logistical issues, including busing, could lead to different start times for elementary schools if secondary schools started later.
On the survey, parents can indicate a high, moderate or low level of support for the possible changes. The survey also asks the key factors influencing a family’s response and includes questions on how their children normally get to and from school.
The survey doesn’t mean the district will move forward with these changes. The district is taking feedback through 5 p.m. Feb. 24.
“The survey is designed to surface both levels of support and specific concerns so the Board can better understand community impact before considering any formal action,” Hollar said. “This is not a final decision point, but rather a data-gathering step to inform thoughtful planning.”
The conversation over school start times has long been debated.
Proponents have argued that teenagers need more sleep and later start times would help promote academic growth and emotional well-being.
The American Academy of Pediatrics over a decade ago called insufficient sleep in adolescents a public health issue and recommended later start times. Other organizations and research studies have also shown positive effects.
California lawmakers passed a law in 2019 that mandated later start times across the state. It was the first such law, according to The New York Times. Under that law, high schools in the state were required to start after 8:30 a.m., and middle schools after 8 a.m.— though there are some exceptions.
Across the Treasure Valley, school start times vary. In the Nampa School District, secondary students start at 7:30 a.m., according to the bell schedule on the district’s website. In West Ada, middle school students start later at 8:20 a.m. most days and high school students at 7:40 a.m.
