Students in the Lower Merion School District could be getting a little extra sleep come September of next year, thanks to a proposal currently under consideration.
The school board shared updated start times for school throughout the district, citing a desire to provide "healthy start times" that would "better align with teens' sleep patterns."
On Tuesday, the board modified a proposal that would push high school start times back from 7:30 a.m. to 8:40 a.m., and students would end classes by 3:30 p.m. instead of 2:40 p.m.
Middle school students would start their day at 8 a.m. instead of 8:15 a.m. and would end at 2:50 p.m. instead of 3:05 p.m.
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And, elementary students would see a start time of 9:20 a.m. and an end time of 4:05 p.m. instead of starting classes at 9 a.m. and leaving at 3:35 pm.
The modifications to that proposal would include ending the day for elementary school students 15-minutes early, providing before school care for elementary schools students, considering an earlier start for middle school students and ensuring educators are supported as the district transitions into the proposed schedule.
The proposal would set the new start times to begin in September of 2024. The current start times would remain in place for the 2023-2024 school year.
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According to a statement on the proposal, the school's board said the change follows "many thoughtful discussions among students, families and staff over the past several weeks."
"These most recent conversations follow years of research, consideration and advocacy for making a change based on recommendations by numerous medical and public health organizations to better align start times with teens’ sleep patterns," said the board's statement.
Later this spring, the school administration plans to provide an update on the modifications being considered for this proposal, and to present a final plan. The board expects to vote on the start time proposal sometime in the early summer.
