Reader view: School start times hurt youngest learners too

The Edmonds School District is proposing a 7:20 a.m start for 12 elementary schools in order to accommodate a transportation constraint driven by shifting middle and high schools to a later start time. This proposal, if approved, would take effect starting in the 2027-28 school year: www.edmonds.wednet.edu/our-district/district-information-reports/startend-time-survey

The claim the District is making is that this change is based on adolescent sleep science, and is necessitated by a critical shortage of school buses/drivers if the 12 elementary school start times were not adjusted. While the shortage of buses/drivers is a real problem, resolving a transit constraint by shifting 12 elementary schools to a 7:20 a.m start overlooks parallel scientific research showing such a start time can be just as devastating for our youngest learners.

Furthermore, a review of the of the selected elementary schools reveals that the 7:20 a.m slot is assigned almost exclusively to Title 1 schools with below average test scores that have high concentrations of vulnerable students and low-income families.

Personally I find this proposal highly problematic and inequitable. While the proposed benefits of a later start time for middle/highschool students are debatable, the mechanism to achieve them is fundamentally flawed. Forcing the above 12 elementary schools into a 7:20 a.m start to solve a logistical bus/driver deficit is a misguided trade-off.

Many families are experiencing an extremely challenging economic environment. Shifting further economic burden through additional afterschool care expenses, so that a group of students who in many cases are capable of self-care in the afternoon, is not the right choice.

Should you feel the same, I encourage you to sign the petition expressing your opposition against the proposal: www.change.org/p/why-should-first-graders-wake-up-earlier-so-seniors-can-sleep-in-edmonds-school-district

Sam Byron is a resident of Edmonds.