Williamsville committee proposes later high school start, earlier elementary schedule to boost teen sleep

A committee appointed by the Williamsville Central School District recommended on Jan. 14 that the district shift its bell schedules for the 2025–26 school year so high schools start at 8:50 a.m., middle schools at 8:20 a.m. and most elementary schools move earlier in the morning.

The committee presented research showing health and safety benefits of later start times for adolescents and said the recommendation is intended to align school hours more closely with adolescent sleep patterns. Principal Keith Bortman, chair of the committee and principal of South High School, said the group based its work on scientific studies and community focus groups assembled over 18 months.

The proposal matters because a wide range of national medical organizations — including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine — recommend later starts for middle and high school students to reduce chronic sleep loss and related harms, presenters said. The committee urged the district to adopt the schedule only after additional planning to address logistics raised during the meeting.

"Our job here is to put our personal feelings aside," Principal Keith Bortman said, describing the committee’s aim to follow the…