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Zionsville Schools vote to push back start times

Posted at 9:13 PM, May 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-09 21:13:26-04

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. -- Zionsville Middle School students will start later next year thanks to a vote by the school board Monday night.

Some 3,500 people responded to a survey from Zionsville Schools about pushing back the start time at the middle school to give kids more time to sleep. More than 70 percent said they were in favor of a change of some time.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that middle schoolers not start before 8:30 a.m.

"Kids do better when kids start later," said Riley Hospital for Children Pediatric Sleep Specialist Dr. Sarah Honaker. "They are less sleepy. Some studies have shown better performance in school. Better health. So in general, when kids are getting more sleep they are more likely to be their best."

Chris Rose told RTV6 it's very hard for her middle schooler to get up in time for school.

"It's very hard to get him up by 6:40 a.m." she said. "Get up, get dressed, have breakfast and make it to school on time. The bell rings at 7:27 a.m. It's very difficult for him to get up and get going so early. I would be nice if he could start about an hour later."

On Monday, the Zionsville School Board voted 4-1 to approve the following school start times beginning in the 2017-2018 school year:

  • Elementary: 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  • Middle: 8:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
  • High school: 8:30 a.m. – 3:40 p.m.