School Start Time Change

• The recommendation aligns with the District’s Strategic Plan.
• The proposed change aligns with research on adolescent sleep.
• The proposed change is consistent with a commitment the District made to the City of White Bear Lake and current WBLAHS - North Campus neighborhood residents to prioritize the mitigation of traffic impact.
• The proposed change would allow the District to run a more efficient, three-tiered transportation system.

• Research results suggest that bedtimes and wake times are malleable in elementary aged children allowing modification to accommodate changing start times without affecting the overall amount of sleep obtained. Younger children are able to modify bedtimes forward to compensate for the earlier wake up time; this is biologically difficult in older adolescents (Appleman, et al., 2015).
• Unlike teens, elementary-aged children are biologically capable of falling asleep earlier in the evening and thus can awaken early as well, with no ill effects (Facts About Sleep, Iber & Wahlstrom).
• An early start will increase prime morning instructional time, which is advantageous to elementary-aged students, especially children with emotional and behavioral disorders (Wahlstrom, 1998).
• Research suggests that the academic achievement of elementary aged children is not negatively affected with earlier start times (Dupuis, 2015). 
• Young children are more alert at the beginning of the day and stay more energized throughout the day.
• Research suggests that earlier start times would allow for more productive and energetic learning in the afternoon as well as the morning.
• Earlier release times for elementary students would allow for more outdoor playtime, fresh air, and physical exercise before dark.

• Most Rec practices start at 5:30 p.m. or later, practice times will not need to adjust to accommodate the change in elementary dismissal time. Association sports may need to adjust practice times slightly but it will not be a major change. Typically the younger the student the earlier practice will take place.

• Teens whose schools start later still tend to fall asleep around 11 p.m., enabling them to attain more sleep every school night than teens whose schools start earlier.
• 55-60% of teens whose high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later are likely to sleep 8 or more hours per school night. 
• Summary of academic outcomes with later start: Significantly improved grades, reduced tardiness, reduced absenteeism, improved graduation rates.
• Social/emotional and other outcomes with later start include: Statistically significant less reported depression, fewer discipline incidents, fewer emotional outbursts, reduced risky behavior, and fewer car accidents. 

• There have been no districts identified in which athletic programs were canceled or “significantly adversely affected by school start time change. To the contrary, a number of districts found that more students participated in athletics and that sports programs grew after” bell times were delayed, and teams performed better (Owens, et al., 2014). 
• Our middle schools currently offer some activities prior to the school day; this proposal creates a larger window for those opportunities.
• After school clubs and enrichment will still happen, with transportation available on activities buses for those who wish to be transported home.
• Middle school activities would shift to approximately 4:15-5:45 p.m., when the activities bus would be available for those who wish to be transported home.
• We acknowledge there will be instances where student athletes need to be released from school early for competitions. This practice is currently in place now and we do not anticipate a sizable increase in the frequency of early release days.

• There have been no districts identified in which athletic programs were canceled or “significantly adversely affected by school start time change. To the contrary, a number of districts found that more students participated in athletics and that sports programs grew after” bell times were delayed, and teams performed better (Owens, et al., 2014). 
• Our high school typically runs two sessions of practices, this will continue
• Athletic facilities improvements and additions will be coming on line in the next two school years, which will dramatically improve access for student athletes and will allow for a reduction in the number of late practice sessions needed:
  • The new South Campus gymnasium will open in the fall of 2021 
  • The new fieldhouse and additional turf fields will be completed in the fall/winter of 2022
• We acknowledge that lower-level contests take place at 4 p.m. or 4:30 p.m., so students may need to get out of class more frequently than they do now (especially for non-conference contests with longer traveling distances).

• We realize that time demands on families outside of the school day are significant, and we recognize that this change will impact family schedules. This change will likely make things easier for some families and for others it might not. Juggling school schedules, work schedules, extracurricular activities, family time, and other commitments can be challenging and we do not take that lightly. Ultimately, as a school district we must make decisions based on what is best for our students. A substantial body of research compiled over 25 years has demonstrated that delaying school start times for middle and high school students has a wide range of irrefutable potential benefits with regard to physical and mental health, safety, academic achievement, attendance, graduation rates, and extracurricular participation. Additionally, research shows an early start for elementary-aged students will increase prime morning instructional time and that earlier start times would allow for more productive and energetic learning in the afternoon as well. We are prioritizing student health and well-being with this recommendation, and the research overwhelmingly supports this change.

• 7:10 a.m. will be targeted as the earliest bus pick-up time for any student who receives district transportation. To mitigate the dark bus stop concern we worked hard to push the proposed elementary start time as late as possible under the recommended scenario. As always, families are encouraged to accompany their younger students at bus stops.
• In the district’s current schedule, high school students are picked up as early as 6:30 a.m.

• Matoska students are transported from throughout the entire district boundary rather than from a smaller neighborhood boundary like the other elementary schools. 
• The amount of time to travel the entire district takes longer, up to 50 to 60 minutes for some bus routes. Some students would be picked up between 6:30-6:45 a.m. if Matoska’s schedule matched the other elementary schools’ start time of 7:45 a.m.

• The proposed change would allow the District to run a more efficient, three-tiered transportation system. 
• Seven fewer buses would be needed to transport students, which results in a savings of over $600,000 in annual operating costs.

• Our Transportation Department has run through many scenarios. The proposed plan fits into an efficient three-tiered transportation system (drivers complete a total of three routes - one for each level elementary, high school and middle school). 
• Any shifting of the proposed elementary start time would shift the high school and middle school start and end times by the same amount of time. 
  • For example, if the elementary start time was shifted 15 minutes later to 8 a.m. in this scenario, all other levels would also shift 15 minutes later at the beginning and the end of the day. 

• Extended Day School Age Care will be available at all elementary schools with before and after school options for families.  
  • Morning care would be available starting at 6:30 a.m. until the start of the school day.
  • Afternoon care would begin at the end of the school day with 2 different dismissal options in the afternoon at 4:30 p.m. or 6 p.m., with a variety of contract options to provide the most flexibility for families.  
  • We will continue to offer financial assistance options for families that qualify for free and reduced lunch. Additionally, long-term county fee assistance for qualifying families will continue to be available.
• Additional after school enrichment classes will be offered.

• Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose
• Burnsville-Eagan-Savage
• Edina
• Farmington
• Mahtomedi
• Minneapolis
• Moorhead
• Mounds View 
• St. Louis Park
• St. Paul
• South Washington County
• Wayzata

• Professional organizations that have endorsed later school start times for middle and high school students include:
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
  • American Academy of Sleep Medicine
  • American Medical Association
  • American Psychological Association
  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Minnesota Medical Association
  • National Association of School Nurses/Society of Pediatric Nurses
  • National Parent Teacher Association
  • Society of Behavioral Medicine

• We are prioritizing student health and well-being. Waiting only delays the delivery of significant and numerous benefits to students. 
  • Starting our preK-5 day earlier will better align with elementary prime learning time, when younger students are more alert and well rested.
  • Starting our middle and high school days later will allow our teenagers to get the right amount of sleep to feel well rested, successful and healthy.

The changed school start/dismissal times will start in the fall of 2021.

• School Start Time FAQ, Minnesota Sleep Society
• Delayed Middle School and High School Start Times Promotes Student Health and Performance: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine
• Position Statements and Resolutions on Sleep and School Start Times, Start School Later 
• Later School Start Times, Kyla L. Wahlstrom, Ph.D.
• School Start Time Changes and Sleep Patterns in Elementary School Students, Appleman, et al., 2015.
• The Association Between Elementary School Start Time and Students’ Academic Achievement in Wayzata Public Schools, Dupuis, 2015.
• Facts About Sleep, Iber & Wahlstrom, acquired March 2021. 
• School Start Time Change: An In-Depth Examination of School Districts in the United States, Owens, et al., 2015.
• Changing School Start Times: Impact on Sleep in Primary and Secondary School Students, Meltzer, et al., 2021

• Watch the video of the School Start/Dismissal Time Change informational meeting
• Send a question to the Communications Office here