Later start time for teenagers in Seattle Public Schools? You’re invited to be on the task force

Seattle Public Schools have long been urged to look at later start times for its oldest students. The School Board decided to review the idea, and now, the district is setting up a task force, according to today’s announcement, which invites you to apply:

Recent sleep research indicates that adolescents’ normal sleep patterns and health may be supported by later school start times. Seattle Public Schools is forming a year-long task force to analyze a potential change in bell times throughout the district. The task force members will review the sleep research and study potential implementation impacts including benefits and challenges for starting elementary schools earlier, and middle and high schools later.

The superintendent will consider the task force work, along with additional community and school feedback to make recommendations to the school board for potential changes in the 2016-17 school year. The superintendent’s report to the board will include analysis of sleep research and operational impacts in other districts. Recommendations will aim to promote school schedules that support student learning, student engagement and health.

The task force is only one aspect of community engagement planned during the school year. Flipping bell times is a complex task and has a significant effect on families and schools. Staff will work to engage all families throughout the district.

The school board listed examining bell times as a governance priority this school year.

Task force members will consist of Seattle Public Schools staff and community members including parent representatives.

To read the charter of the task force including a list of positions that the district is seeking to fill, or for the nomination form, which is due October 6, click here.

In our area this year, just in case you wondered, West Seattle High School starts at 7:50 am, Chief Sealth International High School at 8:40 am.

Joe Szilagyi September 22, 2014 (4:08 pm)

Before anyone complains about this, the research is solid and has been reported on extensively. The only opposition I’ve ever seen (and I’ve watched a couple of debates over this on TV and Youtube) all boil down to:
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Appeals to tradition/early bird, etc (irrelevant)
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Impacts on parenting schedules (very relevant)
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Anyone who was ever 16-17 will remember how absurdly easy it was to stay awake night after night until 3am-4am doing whatever it is you were doing, while that would kill us stone dead today (unless you’re Tracy).

West Seattle Coug September 22, 2014 (4:27 pm)

Our teenager goes to The Center School (SPS HS) and they’ve started at 9am for a while. Love the hours!

ocean September 22, 2014 (5:06 pm)

Interesting: they say “recent research”, but I know that the research goes back to at least 1996. Not quite “recent”, eh SPS?
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Also, according to the information in the SPS “Bell Time Analysis Task Force” they are looking to just now start a task force (known for speedy resolutions, no?) and that the district
“will use this report, along with other
important data in making recommendations to the School Board for potential
changes in the 2016-17 school year”

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Wow, faster than cold molasses.
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The data has been around for many years, the problems lie with the transportation company. Oh, wait, transportation for high schools is Metro. The same Metro that is cutting back services.
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Huh.
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Just join the task force and scream, “Higher test scores!” That should do it….
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(And no, SPS does not want me on the task force: they do not like my standing up for those without a voice, nor my background in education/science/research/law/ etc..)
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http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/backgrounder-later-school-start-times

JanS September 22, 2014 (5:34 pm)

it’s a typical Seattle thing, it seems. Let’s form a task force for next year that will study something for a year. And then we’ll decide whether to implement something 2 years down the road. Remember the old Nancy Reagan slogan? ” Just do it”!. No need to pay a bunch of people that long to study something that’s already been studied, in my book…but ..that’s just me. :-\

add September 22, 2014 (5:54 pm)

Actually, JanS, Nancy Reagan’s war against drugs slogan was “Just Say No”!!! (Just Do It = Nike)

Ray September 22, 2014 (5:58 pm)

Why not make it coordinate with most parent’s work schedules….. Have them start about the same time most people are initiating their commute, dropping the kids off or sending them to the bus at the same time.

The science be damned. Humans are adaptable to changes in schedules (see our stupid use of daylight savings time).

THAT make the most sense.

Mark32 September 22, 2014 (6:28 pm)

I have to agree with you JanS.

Rick September 22, 2014 (6:55 pm)

Off topic but I still have an old black and white “Do It” pin from the Bic pen Company ad campaign during the 60’s. Way before Nike was born. Often wondered if that wasn’t part of their inspiration.

JanS September 22, 2014 (8:11 pm)

add…lol..well I didn’t think much of Nancy Reagan anyway :-\ Thanks for the correction :)

Mike September 22, 2014 (9:10 pm)

that means they will be let out later too, right? I never had issues being at school an hour early for band, maybe parents should crack down on their kids sleep schedule and this would not be an issue?

Rachel Couwenberg September 22, 2014 (9:33 pm)

Are we really considering changing our entire school schedule just because teenagers don’t have enough personal responsibility to put themselves to bed on time? Great preparation for the real world….”Uh, boss, can I come in late today? I stayed up too late and I’m too tired to get to work on time….”

DV September 22, 2014 (10:01 pm)

I really hope this gets considered. There is a lot of research showing that teenagers are wired to stay up later, so going to bed early is tough, and getting up insanely early is even tougher. It seems ridiculous that the earliest I have ever had to get up was in high school. Now in the working world I never have to get up that early. Why should high school start before most adults need to be at work? Plus, when you think about all the time in taking the bus, they have to be up a lot earlier than you think. I have awful memories of being so tired all through high school even though I was in bed by 9 most nights. My son is only 5 but I hope by the time he hits high school the start time will be at least 9. That seems reasonable.

m September 22, 2014 (10:04 pm)

Um, Rachel?…I think you missed the research part of the discussion. This isn’t about lack of responsibility, character, etc. And their biology doesn’t affect them this way for a lifetime.

Jim September 23, 2014 (7:00 am)

I used to feel pretty strongly that this was a good idea because it was so hard to get my teenage son up in the morning. Then I started taking his PHONE away from him at 9pm and MAKING him go to bed. He gets himself up now around 6am because he’s rested and he’s going to sleep earlier because he’s getting up earlier.

It really was that easy. No TV in the room, no phone in the room, no computer in the room, no XBox in the room = no distractions = sleepy.

Llfauntleroy September 23, 2014 (10:40 am)

This is way overdue. I believe this should have been done YEARS ago. There will never be full agreement to this proposal, and a task force is wasting our students time. Research indicates that starting school later for Middle and High School students can directly improve grades and test scores. It’s easier to do and less expensive than changing the curriculum, rewriting objectives and retraining teachers.
I agree with another post- Just do it!!

GAnative September 23, 2014 (10:50 am)

The same studies also show that younger children learn better earlier in the day. We lived outside Atlanta when my daughter started school the times were:

Elem 7:15am – 1:30pm
Middle 8:00am – 3:00pm
High 9:00am – 4:00pm

When we first learned that she would get on the school bus at 6:45am we thought it would awful but it wasn’t. I have more trouble getting her out of bed at 6:30am now that I ever did then.

Pluses:
*I was able to wait at the bus stop with her on my way to work.
*I didn’t have to pay for before school care; only after school.

I didn’t have a high schooler then but my neighbors did and she got herself up and off to the bus stop on her own.

A lot of what are afterschool activities here were done before school there; like football practice.

One of the arguments I’ve heard here is that the kids would be coming home in the dark (after 4pm)in the winter which I think is silly because don’t they go in the dark? And if they participate in any after school activities they are coming home in the dark anyway.

datamuse September 23, 2014 (11:14 am)

This is a great idea. In high school I had to get up at 5 am and it didn’t matter what time I went to bed, I was always exhausted and usually fell asleep partway through the day. Today I get up at 5 am for work with no issue, even though I’m a lot older now and need more sleep!