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School start‑time forum draws mixed feedback; committee schedules formal vote for Feb. 3
Summary
At an open forum on start‑time changes, parents, staff and students cited sleep‑benefit research for older students, but raised concerns about bus ride times, before‑school practices, afternoon activities and staff childcare; the committee set a Feb. 3 vote and asked administration to continue route and partner planning.
The Westford School Committee held an extended public forum Jan. 21 on a proposed change to school start times that would move middle and high schools to an 8 a.m. start, shift grades 3–5 to about 8:50 a.m., and move kindergarten–grade 2 to about 9:10 a.m.
Public comment and staff input: Parents and students who spoke at the forum largely cited research supporting later start times for adolescents and described perceived mental-health and sleep benefits. A parent who works with teens described losing roughly 30 minutes of nightly sleep for many high schoolers and said a later start would help. Student advisory input (STACK) reported 432 student responses with roughly 69% favoring a later start for older students.
Concerns raised included: impact on…
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