MONROE — The Monroe School District is considering changing school starting times.
A 35-member committee, composed of district students and families, district family liaisons, school administrators, and district administrators, has met twice to analyze the issue.
Committee members could elect to alter start times at the district’s nine schools, or leave them as they are. Sky Valley Education Center sets its schedule independently.
If the committee does recommend a change, it would also recommend when the new start times would take effect.
“The conversation was first brought up around 2016 when surrounding districts were also considering adjusting start times,” Monroe School District spokesperson Tamara Krache said.
Numerous studies have shown that teenagers get too little sleep, leaving them susceptible to physical and mental health problems.
In 2016, the Seattle School District bumped start times from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. for high schools and most middle schools.
A study by University of Washington researchers revealed that the change granted Seattle students an average of 34 extra minutes of sleep each night, resulting in improved grades and reduced tardiness and absences.
Internal clocks change during puberty, explained study senior author Horacio de la Iglesia, a University of Washington biology professor. He compared asking a teenager to be awake and alert at 7:30 a.m. to asking the same of an adult at 5:30 in the morning. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges all school districts to move middle school and high school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later.
Yet less than 20 percent have, according to the National Center For Education Statistics.
Will Monroe join them?
Thus far, the Start Time Committee has prioritized three topics to investigate: transportation, student health impact, and impact on before and after school activities. It also plans to develop a survey to administer to all stakeholders potentially affected by a school time change.
There is no specific timetable for the committee to make its recommendation, Krache said, noting “if they do recommend a change, they will also include when they think the possible change would best be implemented.”
