In January 2023, the Lower Merion School District’s (LMSD) Board of School Directors proposed the re-ordering of school start times as follows:
- The middle school day begins first, at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 2:50 p.m.
- The high school day begins second at 8:40 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m.
- The elementary school day begins last at 9:20 a.m. and ends at 4:05 p.m.
Reason being: earlier school hours prevent many students from getting the recommended hours of sleep per night that most teenagers and young adults need. And over a number of years – and pre-pandemic – much attention and research has been focused on delaying the start of the school day as a way to address chronic sleep loss in adolescents. LMSD proposed these Healthy Start Times as research has shown that starting school at times that are more in sync with students’ sleep needs and patterns, is to their benefit. It leads to decreased rates of tardiness, truancy, absenteeism, and dropping out, and improvements in academic achievement.
Before enacting these new school start times, LMSD engaged Brownstone execute a series of Listen & Learn sessions focused on getting feedback parents, guardians, teachers (middle, elementary, and high school), and staff on how the proposed start times would effect them, their families, and, for teachers, their classroom. Despite the shortened timeline of just 13 days, Brownstone:
- Engaged 373 individuals via 16 Listen & Learn sessions
- Engaged 189 individuals via 7 school-based surveying opportunities
In March 2023, after reviewing all feedback data gathered during the engagement initiatives, the Board voted 7 to 2 in favor of implementing a modified version of the proposed schedule in September 2024.
