Wayland School Committee votes to change school start times

WAYLAND, Mass. — The Wayland School Committee voted Monday night to move school start times about 50 minutes earlier for elementary school students, and an hour later for high school students.

The vote came hours after a high school walkout Monday morning and some impassioned public comments from parents and teachers.

Changes also include an early dismissal day.

School Committee members said the reason for the change is that studies show more sleep benefits older children in their health and academically.

But families said they have concerns about dismissal times, and how they will impact child care, sports and extracurricular activities.

School officials are still making adjustments to the start and dismissal times by 5 or 10 minutes to stay on budget and alleviate families' concerns.

Cox Media Group