Fairfax Schools Consider Time Change For High Schools

VIENNA, Va. -- (WUSA) Like many Fairfax County high schools... James Madison starts at 7:20 a.m. Too early for many students.
Alex Heidarian says "We wake up at 6 am. Why is that so hard? Because as teenagers, we go to bed very late."

Sammi Sharma, a Madison 10th grader says "That would be so cool, amazingly cool" to start school at 8:30.

It might happen. The schools transportation department has come up with a new bus schedule that would start high schools at 8:30 cost nothing extra.

Phyllis Payne, a mother of two, is the co-founder of SLEEP, which has been advocating for later start times for high school students for years. "The extra sleep that they get from the extra start time makes a huge difference in their academic performance, their performance on the sports field and when driving a car. It's really critical to their health and safety. "

To have high schools start later, elementary schools must start earlier, but not too early. You don't have to have little kids at the bus stop in the dark. They'll start no earlier than 7:50. But the middle schools will take the late schedule... 9:40 to 4:30 p.m.

Superintendent Jack Dale says that schedule would probably put an end to a successful after school program.

Dale credits the after school program for helping to reduce gang activity and cut crime. He says it'll be up the community to decide if it wants the new schedule.

Next month, the Fairfax County School Board will hold town meetings to gauge community response. The board will then vote on the plan.