Parents, teachers and health professionals urge board to rethink proposed 2026 school start-time changes

Members of the Fairport Central School District Board of Education heard more than a half-dozen public comments Tuesday calling on the board to reopen or delay a plan to change school start times beginning in 2026.

Those who spoke said the changes, which the district says are intended to align secondary start times with adolescent sleep research, would shift burdens — particularly on families with elementary‑age children — without clear mitigation plans. Concerns included sharp increases in aftercare demand and cost, the loss of student workers who staff afterschool programs, transportation effects and disruption to extracurricular participation.

The issue drew speakers across the community. Becky Urlocker, identified herself as a parent of three district students and a long‑term observer of special‑education classrooms. “As a parent of a student who cannot come home and tell me what happened during the day, who cannot advocate for himself, I have to put so much faith and trust into the staff of these classrooms,” she said, arguing that the district must consider the different, more intensive supports required in self‑contained special‑education rooms.

Sarah Osterlingmaine, who identified herself as a Fairport graduate and…