No later schedule yet for teens

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 | 7:23 a.m.

Clark County high school students shouldn't reset their alarm clocks just yet.

The School Board appears to be backing away from proposals for the district's comprehensive high schools to start classes later in the morning.

One reason is that the idea is drawing fierce opposition from parents of younger students, whose school days would also have to shift.

At issue is whether the high school students would perform better if classes began later than the current 7 a.m. start time. Research has shown the biological clocks of teenagers are different, typically leaving them sluggish in the early morning regardless of what time they turn in at night.

But delaying the start of high school would force the district to move middle and elementary school hours, too, because of the size of the school bus fleet.

Buses currently drive students in three shifts - high school students are taken to school first, followed by middle school. The last run of each morning and afternoon carries elementary school students.

Since the School Board held its first public meeting on the topic two weeks ago, the district has received about a dozen e-mails, phone calls and letters daily.

Parents of younger students aren't pleased, School Board member Terri Janison said. "Parents do not want elementary school (hours) moved, that's coming through loud and clear," Janison said.

Moving elementary school start times later than the current 9 a.m. could mean that thousands of students will spend up to 2 1/2 hours in morning day care before classes begin. And in the winter months, younger children might be walking home in the dark.

"Please think about our little ones when you listen to a few parents who seem to feel that their high school students can't handle the early morning," wrote the mother of an 11th grader, eighth grader and first grader.

Janison said Tuesday while she agrees high school students would benefit from a later start, she wouldn't support the change if it meant elementary schools began after 9 a.m.

"I'm not convinced we should make a big change right now, even if it's just to study the issue for a year, if it's not what's best for everyone in the long run."

Parents and students have also written the district to say early mornings are a "real world" fact of life.

"Upon graduation from high school, teens will soon find employers much less considerate of their sleep needs," wrote one parent in a letter to the district. "Part of being a responsible adult is getting someplace on time, often when you wish you were still in bed."

The School Board must decide by April if it plans to change the transportation schedule for the 2006-07 academic year.

One other solution would be for the district to buy enough buses to carry high school students at the same time as younger students. But that would cost $77 million.

A group of parents calling themselves supporters of the Start Later for Educational Excellence Proposal, or SLEEP, say high school students perform better later in the day. Numerous studies of adolescent sleep patterns and academic performance bears out the argument.

"With academic pressures and homework assignments, it is not uncommon to see our kids still awake at 10:30 and 11 p.m.," wrote the parent of six district students, ages 6 to 16. "By the weekend they are absolutely exhausted. This can't be a healthy way to grow up."

The School Board has also heard from families preferring the earlier start times because older students have more opportunity in the afternoons for jobs, extracurricular activities and homework. Many parents say they also rely on their older children to watch younger siblings after school.

Clark County School Board Vice President Sheila Moulton said she has heard from more opponents of changing start times than supporters. However that doesn't mean she wouldn't be in favor of tweaking the current bus schedules.

"I'm a strong proponent of trying to give kids options and flexibility," Moulton said. "I still think we could do some creative things and see if we couldn't let students who feel they need more sleep start later."

Several suggestions on the table, including enlisting public transportation, have found little community support. A pilot program to use CAT buses at two high schools several years ago was scrapped when parents protested, citing safety concerns.

Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes said he may recommend the district hire a transportation consultant to analyze the bus routes and determine what changes are possible.

Washoe County School District, the state's second largest, is also wrestling with start times. After a legislative audit criticized its transportation services as inefficient, the Washoe County School Board determined it would need to establish uniform start times for its elementary, middle and high schools. Currently start times at each level vary from campus to campus by as much as 40 minutes.

Most of Washoe's high schools currently begin classes about 8 a.m. It may be necessary to move those campuses to a 7:30 a.m. start time, Washoe County School District spokesman Steve Mulvenon said.

The Clark County School Board will hear public comment at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Greer Education Center, 2832 E. Flamingo Road. The regular School Board meeting will follow at 5:30 p.m.