Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is considering plans to bump middle school start times by at least half an hour. Currently, FCPS middle schools start at 7:30 a.m. The new proposals would push those start times to anywhere between 8 and 9:40 a.m.
Proposed School Start Time Changes
In 2023, FCPS hired an outside firm, Prismatic Services, Inc., to map out options for 8 a.m. middle school start times.
Prismatic presented their report to the school board last month. In one scenario, middle schools would begin at 8 a.m. and elementary schools between 9 and 9:50 a.m. Another option recommends middle schools start at 9:40 a.m. and elementary schools start between 8 and 9:10 a.m.
The proposal recommends new start times be implemented in the 2026–2027 school year along with the county’s boundary adjustments.
School Board Member Responds
In response to the plan to change middle school start times, Fairfax County school board member Melanie Meren told WTOP that “The board did not act on the recommendations and does not have a plan right now to act on the recommendations. The superintendent’s budget proposed in January also does not include acting on changing middle school start times. And there was a cost associated with most of the recommendations, because if it involves more buses, that’s going to mean buying more buses and finding more drivers, or perhaps other things that are part of the solution.”
Background
FCPS cited that, “Research shows that later start times may have positive impacts on student academic performance and mental and emotional well-being.” Back in 2012, FCPS’ board passed a resolution that delayed high school start times. The resolution stated that, “because of the benefits to student health, well-being, and performance, it is a goal of the Fairfax County School Board to achieve high school start times after 8 a.m., so that students are able to obtain a healthy and sufficient amount of sleep, as defined by sleep research and medical experts.”
Feature image, adobe.stock.com
