The ConVal School District is deciding whether to push the start time for middle and high school from 7:35 to 8:35 to give students more time to sleep.
Board member Janine Lesser says research shows adolescents need 10-12 hours of sleep each night.
“When they get that sleep there are all kinds of positive outcomes, from their academics to their health to their social well-being,” she says.
Portsmouth, Oyster River, and Keene have opted for later school start times.
But accommodating the change will be costly, given the size of ConVal’s district - over 200 square miles.
Lesser says the board considered putting K-12 students on the same buses but abandoned that option after feedback from parents.
Getting all K-12 students to school at the same time on different buses will require an overhaul of the district’s busing system, at the annual cost of $808,000.
Voters will consider the issue in a separate warrant article when they vote on the school budget next month.
