Arlington

Arlington ISD Reviewing School Start Times

The Arlington Independent School District is taking a close look at its school start times, just weeks after a new and eye-opening report on sleep deprivation was released.

The American Academy of Pediatrics found that 87 percent of high school students do not get enough sleep each night, and said that early school start times are major contributing factor.

In a statement, the AAP wrote:

“Getting enough sleep each night can be hard for teens whose natural sleep cycles make it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. – and who face a first-period class at 7:30 a.m. or earlier the next day.”

Debbie Moore is the mother of a student at Martin High School in Arlington. She said her daughter is forced to wake up each morning before the sun rises, so she can get ready and be at school by the time it starts at 7:35 a.m.

“Common sense tells me that starting school before sunrise is early,” said Moore. “But when my daughter started high school, all of my concerns were realized – that it would be difficult for high schoolers to get enough sleep.”

Moore is now an active member of a national organization called Start School Later and helped form a local chapter in Arlington.

She’s pushing for Arlington ISD to adopt a new policy statement from the AAP, which urges high schools and middle schools to push back their start times to 8:30 a.m. or later.

“We’ve created a generation of sleep-deprived teens,” said Moore.

Arlington ISD said it’s in the process of reviewing all of its start times as it gets set to roll out several new programs.

“We look at it periodically as we change or start new programs and certainly with the implications of our new bond programs, it was time to take a thorough look,” said Leslie Johnston, spokesperson for Arlington ISD. “And we’ve formed a committee to look at some of the research and to look at what other districts are doing.”

The committee is made up of students, teachers, parents and school administrators. They met for the first time Thursday evening.

Johnston said there are several things school leaders will have to consider before they make any changes to start times. They include bus schedules, students who work or take care of younger siblings after school and extracurricular activities, among other things.

Moore is a member of the committee and said she’s determined to convince them that starting later is better for everyone.

“Communities should adjust to the school schedule, not the other way around,” said Moore.

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