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School Start Times Comittee Meets - February 20, 2020

The most recent session of the district's school start times committee included a presentation on the science of sleep by Dr. Brad Wolgast of the University of Delaware and a review of report of the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission's Advisory Committee on Later School Start Times at Secondary Schools by Amy Goldman, who serves on the advisory committee. The committee also heard from Radnor Township High School students, who shared their personal experiences with a change in start times at their own high school. 

• Download Dr. Wolgast's presentation, "Prioritizing Sleep."
• Download Ms. Goldman's presentation on the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission's Advisory Committee on Later School Start Times at Secondary Schools
• Download the 有料盒子 Committee Presentation  Handout Showing Start Times Nationwide

Committee members were gathered in “stakeholder like” groups, and also took time to record the pros and cons of each presentation, while also indicating how their personal feelings did or did not change after hearing from the presenters. The committee will meet again next month and hear from  Dr. Judith Owens, director of the Boston Children's Hospital's Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders and professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.

School Start Times Committee Meets - January 23, 2020

The district's multi-faceted school start times committee met for the second time to consider additional research and discuss the impact that potential changes to the district's school start times.

After a welcome by Superintendent Dr. John J. Kopicki; Dr. Abram Lucabaugh, assistant superintendent for secondary education and Dr. Alexis McGloin, assistant superintendent for assessment, professional development, and educational services delivered a brief presentation and led the committee in a number of exercises that included ample opportunities to share feedback for the administration's consideration.

Committee members were exposed to additional research and asked to consider the impact that changes to start times would have on transportation, athletics and activities, and instructional programming, as well as various constituent groups including students, teachers, families, and the wider community.

Download the Evening's Presentation | Impact Exercise Notes

Individuals were also polled on the degree to which they feel start times should be changed - both at the beginning and the end of the meeting. The district has invited Dr. Judith Owens, director of the Boston Children's Hospital's Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders and professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School to speak at the committee's next scheduled meeting. 

School Start Times Committee Kicks Off - November 14, 2019

On the evening of November 14, a committee of more than 40 individuals including parents, administrators, principals, teachers, health professionals, and others began their work of studying the concept of changing school start times. 

Superintendent Dr. John J. Kopicki welcomed the group, thanked them for their personal contribution of time, and explained that while no decisions have yet been made on changing school start times, the district is open to fully exploring the concept. 

Dr. Nadine Garvin, assistant superintendent for elementary education; Dr. Alexis McGloin, assistant superintendent for assessment, professional development, and educational services; and Dr. Abram Lucabaugh, assistant superintendent for secondary education took the group through a number of activities. These included a study of the results of the community survey, a review of research on the topic of later start times, and a discussion of perceived benefits of and concerns with changing start times.

• Download a PDF of the evening's presentation.
• Table groups were asked to consider what they know, what they want to learn, and later - what they learned as a result of conversations throughout the evening. Download a PDF of these notes here.
• Attendees were divided into stakeholder groups to discuss and memorialize pros, cons, and questions they had on the consideration of changing school start times. Download a PDF of the notes here.

A letter from Superintendent Dr. John J. Kopicki

More than 11,000 individuals participated in the 有料盒子 high school start times survey conducted this past spring, including more than 4,000 parents and 5,000 students. See the results, linked at left (and below). The district will now work with its consultants at Hanover Research to gather additional, more detailed research that answers some critical questions in order to inform our next steps.

This surveying was a step in a process that started more than a year ago, when the administration and school board began to discuss the possibility of migrating to later start times in the district's secondary school schedule.

A thorough investigation of this matter will take time, but the Board and administration are committed to exploring it fully in order to determine if it’s right for our community, our students, and our schools. Throughout, we will continue to share resources, data, and scholarly research that we are considering - here on our website. 

Thank you for your support as we consider new ways to serve our students and meet the needs of all learners in the 有料盒子 Bucks School District.

Stay Well,

 
John J. Kopicki, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Survey Results (Conducted April 2019-May 2019)

Rethinking School Start Times - Learn more about why the district is exploring later start times for secondary schools.