Bend-La Pine Schools weigh later start times

Amid growing evidence of the importance of adequate sleep for students’ health, the Bend-La Pine School Board began a public conversation Tuesday night about possibly shifting to later starting times for classes at some or all schools across the district.

“When you’re waking up at 6:30, it’s a little too early,” said one Cascade Middle School student. “And you’ll perform better if you have enough sleep, and it makes school more enjoyable.”

Deputy Superintendent Jay Mathisen said, “This is an issue that current research tells us if adolescents start school later than a 7:45 start time, which is pretty common for us across our schools, then there are benefits for kids.”

More than 100 parents and community members gathered at Pilot Butte Middle School to participate in the discussion and split into focus groups to voice concerns and opinions. Among those on hand: the medical director of the St. Charles Sleep Center, Dr. David Dedrick, who said a later start time is vitally important to teenagers’ health.

“Everything gets better when you allow teenagers to sleep at the times they are supposed to be sleeping,” Dedrick said. “They learn better, they have higher attendance rates, there are fewer car accidents and above all, their emotional health improves.”

Elementary schools currently start 9 a.m., while middle and high schools start at 7:45 a.m. The district introduced three ideas: flipping start times between elementary and secondary schools, sliding all times to a later start, or keeping the times as they are.

While research has shown a later start helps with student education, it doesn’t come without consequences.

“It’s a bit like a thread in a garment,” Mathisen said. “When you pull that single thread aimed at this solution, that thread touches lots of other threads, and it can ultimately make lots of other things happen that are sometimes unintended consequences.”

For example, flipping start times could mean elementary school students would wait in the dark for the bus. If middle and high school students end class later in the day, traveling for sports and extracurricular activities could become more challenging. And starting all schools at the same time would mean the school district would have to find and hire more bus drivers.

Suzanne Schlosberg, a mother of two fourth-grade students, said she’s not interested in a later start time, but ultimately wants what’s best for her kids.

“I am concerned about what this would do to snow sports, for the kids who go up to the mountain in the middle of the week,”Schlosberg said. “If you shift everything later, there is not enough time for them to ski.”

Most parents said they are interested in a later start time, but are still concerned about the resulting effects. No decision was made Tuesday night.