State board releases high school start time survey

On Wednesday, the Nevada State Board of Education made its statewide survey on high school start times available and said it would seek community input through Oct. 4.

During its May meeting this year, board members discussed putting off the launch until this month to refine questions and ensure inclusion on key demographics among students and families. Providing proper translations, for example, and addressing concerns about distributing the survey to graduating seniors were considered priorities to board members.

“The State Board of Education has deliberated this topic at length, and we’ve had feedback from district and school administrators,” Felicia Ortiz, president of the Nevada State Board of Education, said in a release distributed Wednesday. “We want to hear from all stakeholders and we’re hoping families, teachers and most importantly, students, will share their thoughts through this survey. We look forward to hearing from all of you.”

The survey will help the board determine whether guardrails on high school start times are needed for all district high schools and charter schools in the state based on community feedback. Conversation has taken place on whether the board’s authority over the matter is legal. The Legislative Counsel Bureau has weighed in with language in the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS), or NRS 388.090, and Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 387.125.

Results from the survey could be used in the board’s development of a bill draft request for the legislature, according to the release.

The survey is available online at //doe.nv.gov/news-media/2024-press-releases/high-school-start-time-survey.