FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Some middle school students in Virginia may soon be able to sleep a little later. Fairfax County Public Schools is considering a plan to move middle school start times back after studies show it could benefit students.
A change in schedule could have big impacts on parents as well. That's why a series of discussions starts to this Monday at Whitman Middle School in Alexandria.
This is a change that has been talked about since 2015. That year, high school start times moved to 8 a.m. or later, but middle schools started at an even-earlier time of 7:20 a.m.
Right now, middle school starts at 7:30 a.m. This could be convenient for households that have kids in different grades, but the science says teens need more sleep, and 7:30 a.m. is too early.
WUSA9 talked with Dr. Maida Chen out of the University of Washington, where she's looked at the data of how later start times have impacted students in Seattle Public Schools.
"The scientific data has shown that when school start times move later, teenagers do not go to sleep later. It's not something where they just move their clocks back and back; they actually maintain the same going-to-sleep time, they just wake up a little bit later so that is where the sleep is gained," Chen said.
The district is looking at an 8 a.m. or later start time. Fairfax County Public Schools contracted with Prismatic Services to develop a plan for changing middle school start times to 8 a.m. or later.
One challenge, in addition to shifting schedules, is transportation. FCPS elementary and high schools all start at 8 a.m. at the earliest. Some parents say if schools all start at the same time, it could be harder to take their kids to schools for varying grade levels.
That's where the public has an opportunity to weigh in. Part of the community engagement sessions will go over the science and challenges. Monday's session runs from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. Registration is required.
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