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Students largely oppose later high-school start times; board weighs waiver and wider parent survey

Lake County School Board · December 16, 2025

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Summary

Staff presented the state proposal for later middle- and high-school start times and reported an interim student survey (1,258 responses) in which 88.9% of participating students opposed the change; the board debated whether to submit a waiver now or wait for fuller student and parent input and directed staff to collect broader feedback before a final recommendation.

District staff briefed the Lake County School Board on state-level proposals that would require middle schools to start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. by July 1, 2026. The presentation explained medical evidence about adolescent sleep needs and outlined potential positive effects (reduced tardiness, improved academic focus, fewer teen-driving accidents) alongside predictable tradeoffs (conflicts with part-time work and extracurriculars, younger children waiting at bus stops in the dark, and impacts on dual-enrollment schedules).

Staff reported an interim student survey of high-school students (1,258 respondents as of Dec. 11) showing 88.9% of respondents opposed the change. Students who favored later starts wrote that they were too tired to wake early; those opposed cited after-school jobs, reduced homework/study time, effects on athletics and dual-enrollment schedules, and increased childcare burdens for younger siblings.

Board members debated whether to act immediately or wait for broader input. Some trustees said it would be premature to submit a district waiver or formal position until all schools have run the student presentation and the parent survey is complete; others wanted the board’s recommendation included with any parent materials in order to frame the conversation. Staff said there is no statutory clock forcing an immediate decision and offered to return with a fuller dataset and recommended wording.

Next steps: Staff will finish student presentations across high schools, run the parent survey with carefully framed materials (including any board recommendation the board wants shown), and return with a recommendation on whether to approve a waiver or formally oppose the state-change proposal.