Tacoma Public Schools is set for a significant shake-up in bell times come the 2024-25 school year with a decision that has divided the community. In a move aiming to improve efficiency in bus routes, Tacoma high schools will push back start times by 30 minutes, while middle schools will ring in 35 minutes earlier, and some elementary schools will have a 20-minute earlier start – these changes were confirmed in a district newsletter to families, reported KING 5.
However, not all parents are on board with the changes. Jay Spencer, a Tacoma parent with kids across the school tiers, raised concerns about the schedule's impact on working families and the district's youngest, saying, "I think [the schedule is] hard for working parents," and that it’s "kind of counter to the best research on what the best learning environments are for the kids," The News Tribune conveyed his viewpoint. Conversely, Leah Browning, who is parenting children in different schools within the district, sees the provision of the teens' extended sleep as a priority over convenience, "Studies show many benefits of a later start time and teens needing more sleep — even more than children!" she explained to The News Tribune.
The district's decision comes on the heels of research supporting later starts for secondary students who often miss out on crucial sleep, with more than 70% of high schoolers and nearly 60% of middle school students failing to get enough nightly rest, a pressing public health concern as per the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, there are more pressing worries for parents like Michelle Puller-Soto, who found out about the changes via Reddit before an official email from the district landed. She doesn't think her middle school-aged son will appreciate the earlier start, especially in winter, when he would have to catch the bus in near-darkness, "Him and his friends are going to be going out in the dead of night to catch the bus, and that does worry me a lot," she confided to The News Tribune.
Despite the mixed reception, Tacoma Public Schools continues with a controversial late start on Wednesdays for the next academic year, a policy that has previously garnered its fair share of discontent among parents.
