VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — District administrators have thrown their support behind a plan that would have high schools start two hours later.
Tuesday afternoon, Daniel Keever, Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ Senior Director for High Schools, recommended the School Board look to move high school start times to 9:20 a.m. next school year. Keever explained that out of the several options weighed, the following schedule would match medical research for students’ sleep patterns:
- Elementary A schools: 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Elementary B schools: 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Middle schools: 8:40 a.m. – 3:10 p.m.
- High schools: 9:20 a.m. – 4:10 p.m.
Virginia Beach high school students currently start at 7:20 a.m., with middle and elementary schools following.
Keever explained the plan would increase operating cost. It would require the need for approximately 80 additional school bus driver hours per day and $2.5 million in one-time costs to finish high school field lighting.
The plan would still need final board approval before going into effect.
Back in November, the school board voted in approval of later start times for the high schools to improve academic performance for adolescents.
Norfolk Public Schools voted over the summer to implement new start times for the 2020-2021 school year. Click here to see the changes to the NPS schedule.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated the dismissal time for Elementary B Schools under the recommendation. WAVY-TV apologizes for the error.