Unionville-Chadds Ford School District changes start time

Chester County, Pa. (WTXF) - Students in a local school district can rejoice. They're going to be able to sleep a little later as of next year. The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District in Chester County is going to be one of the first in the area to change its start time. The district's pointing to research that says it's just plain 'better' for students

Unionville high school senior Matthew Daniels has been working on changing the time school starts since he was a freshman.

"It happened so organically. We looked around the classroom, one of my friends was asleep on his desk, another was drinking red bull and it kind of came to us, we are all tired," he told FOX 29.

Matt began investigating, sat in on a county-wide student forum and found research that shows teenagers need a later start time because of changes to their biological clock.

The American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends students start their school day no earlier than 8:30, citing academic and health benefits. The district acknowledging there are challenges with busing, sports and afterschool activities. It decided an 8 a.m. start for high school and middle school students was a good compromise.

Matt and some fellow students presented their findings to the school board and they got it done. This week, the board voted "yes" to move the start of the school day 25 minutes later next school year. Of course, this will result in some juggling for working parents and students who have after school jobs but the district believes it really is in the best interest of students.