New start times for Chester County school district has parents in heated debate

POTTSTOWN, Pa. - Debate in a Chester County school district over a plan to change its school start times. Both those for and against the plan make their own compelling arguments.

"I think it would be better for sleep-wise. But I also have a lot of extra-curriculars after school that it could also affect," said 14-year-old Sadie Fisher. She is in the eighth grade at Owen J. Roberts Middle School. Tuesday night, she was going to swim practice and with concern about how the district's plan to push back school start times will affect her packed schedule.

"I get home and I get a little break but then I have to run somewhere at four. So, if I'm getting home at 2:45, it would still kind of shorten my time for places I have to go at 3:30 or 3," she explained.

Her mother, Michelle, agrees.

"It's a big crunch to get her there. But, the extra sleep is good. But, it also begs the question, do they just stay up later the night before and not go to bed at the same time, because they have the extra time to sleep in the morning?" Michelle questioned.

The school board voted Monday night to implement the new delayed start times next school year, with roughly a 30-minute pushback on times. High school and middle school would begin at 8 a.m. and end at 2:45 p.m. Elementary school students would start their day at 8:50 a.m. and dismiss at 3:30 in the afternoon.

"Personally, it's not going to affect us much," said Allison Turner. She has a daughter in second grade who she was dropping off at dive practice. "Normally I'll take her in myself on the way to work. I will drop her off at school and their start time right now is 8:30 a.m., so it is really a 20-minute difference. She will just take the bus."

The district said, in a letter posted on its website, that the decision was made based on research on school start times and student sleep health and the district's hiring of more school bus drivers.

Parents lit up Facebook in response to the changes.

One said, "Horrible for working moms with elementary kids."

Another posted, "Yes! The later the better. These kids are up too early!"

Another read, "Go late to work to get your elementary child on the bus at a later time but leave early to pick up your middle school child when sports are over at 4:30. Nobody cares about how impossible this is for working parents."

"I’m kind of on the fence about it. We will see how it goes," said Fisher.