A proposal to push back Fairfax County high school start timesand give teenagers more opportunity to sleep is sounding alarms forhundreds of parents, students and school staff members, who worrythat the extra rest isn't worth the scheduling headaches it wouldcause.
School officials are still studying the implications of the plan,which would reroute buses and change start times for all 169,000Fairfax students. But the potential for sweeping change already iscausing anxiety for many parents who juggle complicated workschedules and day-care arrangements and for students who are loadedup with after-school jobs and activities.
Many Fairfax teachers and support staff also are worried that theschedule change could put them in rush-hour traffic or disrupt theirafter-school routines.
'Are the benefits of better sleep worth it? Or does it impose toomuch of a cost?' asked Lorraine S. Monaco, a mother from theHayfield Farm community. She is trying to slow momentum for what isknown as the 'sleep initiative' with a Web site called WAKE Fairfax,for Worried About Keeping Extra-curriculars.
Another group, Save Our Sport, has formed to represent swim- anddive-team families who oppose the plan because they fear it wouldjeopardize their ability to secure county-operated pools forpractices and meets.
Advocates of the later high school start are asking thecommunity to be flexible and consider the potential benefits thatresearch has identified, including healthier, less-stressed andhigher-performing teenagers. They caution that many people arejumping to conclusions and drawing worst-case scenarios beforedetails are known about how after-school activities would beredesigned.
'We recognize that it's a big collaborative project, but it willpay big dividends,' said Phyllis Payne, co-founder of the parent-led group SLEEP, for Start Later for Excellence in EducationProposal. The group has worked for five years to change theschedule. More than 8,000 people have signed a petition to supportthe cause.
Several earlier proposals suggested that a schedule change wouldcarry a multimillion-dollar price tag. But this winter, the schoolsystem offered a more efficient, no-cost plan.
Most high schools in Fairfax start at 7:20 a.m.; most middleschools start between 7:20 and 8:05 a.m.; and most elementaryschools start between 8 and 9:15 a.m.
Under the proposal, the start time for most high schools wouldmove to 8:30 a.m. Elementary schools would start between 7:50 and9:25 a.m., and most middle schools would start at 9:40 a.m.
Several U.S. school systems have pushed back high school starttimes in recent years, including Arlington County, which opted in2000 to start at 8:15 a.m. instead of 7:30. Anne Arundel County andMontgomery County schools considered the issue but decided a changewould be too costly or disruptive.
William Curran, director of athletics and activities for Fairfaxschools, is looking at how logistics would have to be reworked fordozens of sports teams and more than 300 recognized after-schoolclubs. He said the proposal represents 'a wholesale change in theway we do business.'
Among his concerns are tweaking schedules or practice locationsso that field hockey teams are not playing in the dark, for example,and making sure that enough buses are available to get students topractices or games.
A few sports, including swimming, rely on facilities operated bythe county, and schedule changes must be balanced with heavycommunity use. The Fairfax County Park Authority has issued astatement that it will work with the School Board 'to achieve thebest possible outcomes' if schedule changes are approved.
But Lisa A. Leake, head of the Save Our Sport group and a Fairfaxteacher, said the group would not support the proposal without aguarantee of pool time.
Fairfax school officials have scheduled seven town hall meetingson the proposal at schools the week of Feb. 22. They are alsodesigning electronic surveys for parents, students, staff membersand others.
Fairfax schools Chief Operating Officer Dean Tistadt has askedthe School Board to make a decision by March so he can have enoughtime to prepare for the potential shift. The board could decide toapprove or reject the plan then, or it could vote to delay actionor study the matter further.
In any case, the board 'won't make a decision until it has anopportunity to hear from the public' and to see 'what the real trade-offs are,' said School Board member Brad Center (Lee).
Staff writer Paul Tenorio contributed to this report.
