School District Of Philadelphia Moves Most High School Start Times To 9 A.M.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A big announcement from the Philadelphia School District. High schools will move their start time to 9 a.m. next year. But not everyone is behind this move.
In a letter, the district says it recognizes that changing start and end times can present challenges to families, but this is a change that will help all students succeed.
After the pandemic brought on two years of changes in the Philadelphia School District, a new shift was announced Thursday as the district says start times for all of its high schools would be pushed back to 9 in the morning starting in fall of 2022.
"This is actually another phase of our intention to adjust our bell schedule," school district spokesperson Monica Lewis said.
According to a letter sent to families, the new schedule applies to all high schools except four that are aligned with partner institutions.
Lewis, the spokesperson for the district, says the change will have an impact beyond the classroom.
"A later start time is definitely something that benefits our older students. But also we want to just make sure we have a more streamlined transportation process as well," Lewis said.
And it's not just that. According to the Centers for Disease Control, not getting enough sleep is common among high school students and is associated with several health risks including being overweight, drug use, and poor academic performance.
"Yeah, because they can focus more and get a little more sleep and focus a little more," Cassandra Hughes said.
The city's teachers' union released a statement against the time change.
It said, in part: "A unilateral schedule change goes against the contractually outlined procedures, and we have shared our opposition to this change with the district."
"We always have ongoing dialogue with our union partners. We value what our union partners bring and want to make sure that we can continue to have dialogue and communication," Lewis said.
The district will host information sessions for affected students and families.