The Huffington Post reports that a number of schools in Massachusetts are reviewing their policy and changing their school start times to help improve sleep for kids.
Later, healthier, sleep-friendly school hours are a change whose time has come in Massachusetts. In the past month at least three districts have announced plans to delay the start of the school day to give students a chance for healthier sleep.
While several Massachusetts districts have moved their bell times in the past decade, the rate of change is picking up rapidly as educators, health professionals, parents, and students increasingly work together.
Working Across Districts
Mary Hamaker, who leads the statewide chapter of the nonprofit Start School Later says she is is aware of 35 school districts at various stages of reviewing this issue and the logistics of changing schedules.
Just last week the Easton school district voted to delay both its middle and high school bells by as much as 55 minutes next fall. Melrose, Canton, and Ashland also recently announced that they will push their high school start time to after 8:00 a.m.
