Tallmadge High students ask board to shift start time to 8:30 a.m.

Student presenters at the May 21 Tallmadge Board of Education meeting urged the board to move high-school start times to 8:30 a.m., telling trustees the later start would improve students' sleep, safety and academic performance.

The presentations were led by two student groups and introduced by teacher Michael Rosiborski, who said he taught the students in his English Explorer class. One group proposed a schedule with 75-minute class blocks, two 30-minute academy periods consolidated from three, and a first class beginning at 8:30 a.m. A separate group focused specifically on starting the day at 8:30 a.m. and presented survey and research findings in support of the change.

Why it matters: Students cited research and local survey results to argue that later start times reduce drowsy driving, improve attendance and grades, and support adolescent circadian rhythms. They also proposed concrete schedule changes intended to preserve the state-required instructional hours while shifting daily start and end times.

Details of the proposal and supporting evidence - Proposed start and end: first block at 8:30 a.m.; final block ending about 2:55 p.m. - Block/academy changes: school would reduce 80-minute blocks to 75 minutes, increase each lunch/academy session to 35 minutes (from 30) and move from three academy groups to two to shorten transitions and maintain instructional hours. - Instructional-hour compliance: presenters noted that Ohio requires a minimum of 1,001 instructional hours and said their schedule would meet that requirement while adding roughly six days to the school calendar. - Student survey: presenters reported 59 Tallmadge High School survey responses, with nearly 60% saying current start times are too early; the students said respondents cited mental and physical health effects as the primary impacts. - Research cited: presenters referenced recommendations from professional groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), and studies the students summarized that link later start times with better grades, attendance and fewer sleep-related clinic visits.

Board and staff questions, and implementation concerns Board members and staff asked about logistics the students had considered: bus routing, effects on Career-Technical Education (CTE) and College Credit Plus (CCP) students, impacts on extracurriculars, and budgetary implications of adding school days to meet hour requirements. Presenters said they had considered using middle-school bus runs to simplify transportation and expected many CCP students (they said) to be less affected because some courses are online; presenters acknowledged the district would need to resolve busing and calendar details. A board member and staff also reminded the room that the district participates in a sixth-district compact and that some neighboring districts start earlier, which could complicate athletics, CTE schedules and shared services.

What the district said: Superintendent/administration (on the record at the meeting) thanked the students and noted questions remain about bus routing, the sixth-district compact and how to meet state-required instructional hours. No formal action was taken on the proposal at the meeting; the presentation was recorded during the public presentation portion of the agenda for board consideration.

Ending: Students asked the board to consider a pilot or phased approach and emphasized the potential benefits for health and safety. The board did not vote on a schedule change at the May 21 meeting; any formal proposal requiring calendar or transportation changes would return to the board for action.