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School start times will not change
By ROBERT KING, Times Staff Writer BROOKSVILLE -- The latest proposal to alter the daily start times for Hernando County's schools is being put on hold at least for another year. School district officials decided Tuesday to shelve the idea to adjust start times in a way that would better conform with research on student sleep patterns. Chocachatti principal Michael Tellone, one of the principals supportive of new start times, said the district will study the idea over the next year and perhaps conduct focus groups with parents and other "stakeholders" in the fall to get different perspectives on the issue. Key to the decision to drop the idea for this year, Tellone said, was information from school transportation officials that the changes proposed would not save the district money. Previously, principals and Superintendent Wendy Tellone said the sleep research was the driving force behind their interest in changing the start times. The potential to save up to $160,000 a year from using eight fewer buses and drivers was, they said, mere icing on the cake. But Michael Tellone said word from transportation director Mark Tallent that there would be no cost savings, along with the impact on high school extracurricular activities, was a major factor in the decision to wait. When transportation officials mapped out routes to match the proposal, the potential cost savings dried up, Tellone said. The principals were interested in pushing the middle school day back by about an hour or more, depending on the school. The high school day would start only 20 to 25 minutes later. Both changes were aimed at complying with research that shows adolescent children are naturally wired to fall asleep later and get up later than elementary school children. Schools that have moved back starting times, according to research, have had better attendance, fewer behavioral problems and, to a small degree, better academic performance. To make the move feasible with school bus schedules, principals proposed that six elementary schools have an earlier start time, as much as an hour earlier. Under the proposal, high schools and those six elementary schools would start about 8 a.m. Middle schools and the remaining four elementary schools would start closer to 9 a.m. Most middle and high schools now start well before 8 a.m. Elementary schools start closer to 9 a.m. -- Robert King covers education in Hernando County and can be reached at 754-6127. Send e-mail to rking@sptimes.com.
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From today's Hernando Times |
