BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Public Schools announced a new school day start time on Thursday for the district’s 125 schools for the 2018-19 school year.
The move significantly increases the number of middle and high school students who will begin their school days at or after 8:00 a.m.
“School bell times have tangible impacts on the lives of families, ranging from jobs to a student’s academic performance,” said BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang. “As a district, we must make sure that our students and families are set up for success, and they deserve nothing less.”
MORE: Click here for all of the new Boston Public Schools start times
The later secondary school start times come after a body of research shows teenagers have better academic outcomes when their school days begin later in the morning.
“I am confident that next year’s school bell schedule will be an improvement for the majority of families, and is reflective of the feedback we have received from thousands of students, parents, and staff,” Chang said.
The new times are the result of nationally-leading optimization work conducted with the MIT Operations Research Center, 18 months of community feedback from 10,000 students, family members and staff, and input from the Boston School Committee, which on Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of a start- and end-time policy that sets best practices for school scheduling district-wide.
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