High school start times workshop set for Carson City

The Nevada Department of Education is hosting a workshop at 4:30 p.m. March 30 to explore high school start times.

The NDE is gathering feedback about setting school start times, transportation, educator availability, afterschool sport, extracurricular activities and family constraints impacting students’ daily academic and personal routines.

The NDE is inviting the public to take part in the workshop at 700 E. Fifth St., in Carson City or via livestream. All are welcome to submit public comment. Links to meeting materials, the livestream and public comment can be made on the Nevada State Board of Education webpage.

The second meeting will be held at 9 a.m. April 15 at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas.

The National Sleep Foundation states school attendance and graduation rates “significantly improve” in schools that delay their start times to 8:30 a.m. or later.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states “delaying school start times is an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss and has a wide range of potential benefits to students with regard to physical and mental health, safety and academic achievement” after youth have experienced insufficient sleep associated with puberty, lifestyle choices and academic demands.

Earlier data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from the 2011-12 school year showed that 42 states reported about 75 to 100% of public middle and high schools nationally started before 8:30 a.m., with Nevada’s average start time of 7:51 a.m. However, the percentage of schools starting at 8:30 a.m. or later varied by state.