LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Nevada Board of Education has agreed to hear feedback from the community on a potential change to school start times.
The board voted unanimously to approve a survey that would gather input from school districts around the state on the proposed change. This comes as the latest board meeting to discuss a possible change in start times, which has been an ongoing discussion since last year.
Currently, classes start at 7 a.m. around the state, but with the proposed changes, start times would move to 8 a.m. Advocates of the change point to several studies that highlight improvement in mental health and academic performance for students who get an extra hour of sleep.
Opponents of the change say the board is overreaching its authority and should leave the decision up to individual districts.
Mary Pierczynski, who was representing the Nevada Association of Superintendents, was one of those opponents. “School start times are a prerogative of the local school districts, and, as you well know, our districts are so different, each district should be able to make that decision. This is not a prerogative of the state board.”
Clark County School District has also said that any change to start times would impact bus schedules, and has threatened a lawsuit if any changes move forward.
Once the survey has concluded, board members said they will review answers to gauge whether there is enough momentum to propose a bill and send it to lawmakers.
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