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Officials in Keene Weigh a Later Start Time for Schools

School officials in Keene are hosting a public forum Wednesday night to discuss later start times for students.

The event is part of a months-long effort by school officials to study the option of starting the school day later in the morning in Keene.

Research has shown benefits for adolescent students in both safety and academic performance.

Robert Malay is superintendent of SAU 29, which includes Keene.

“It’s very hard to argue with the research. I’ve heard the voices out in the community say, ‘well, you just gotta get those kids to bed earlier so they can wake up easier.’ But you know that’s not necessarily what’s going on here with the adolescent mind and body.”

Last year, school districts in Portsmouth, Durham, and Meredith all decided to push their start times later.

I make documentary podcast series for NHPR's Document team. I’m interested in high-stakes mysteries involving everyday people. Many of my stories are about lawsuits or criminal cases. I work in audio documentary because I think it is the best way to respect people’s stories.
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