Pennsbury Surveys After Implementation Of Later Start Times

School buses lined up in a Pennsylvania depot.

The Pennsbury School District is surveying students, parents, and staff after the new start time implementation.

The later start time at the high school also means an earlier start time at the middle school.

Superintendent Dr. Thomas Smith noted the changes families have experienced this school year.

The survey will examine multiple factors including attendance and punctuality, health and wellness indicators, athletic and co-curricular activities, school climate engagement, academic performance, and student and staff well-being, Smith said.

“We recognize that it’s still new to a lot of people and it is a culture change and is a life change for a lot of families,” Smith said.

Students are also taking a school climate survey as part of the district’s evaluation process.

Smith noted anecdotal observations from his visits to the high school.

“The teachers will say and acknowledge that the students are much wider awake as they come in in the morning,” he said.

The district plans to survey students, parents, and staff in the spring.

The time change represents one of several significant adjustments the district has made this school year.

“We recognize there have been a lot of changes this year in the Pennsbury School District,” Smith said.

School districts across the country have been examining start times in recent years, with research suggesting later start times can benefit adolescent sleep patterns and academic performance. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Pennsbury looked at changing school start times for several years before making the switch this year.

In other recent changes, the district implemented Schoology, a new learning management system at the high school this year.

Smith recognized this as “a significant change for a lot of folks, our teachers, our students, our parents.”

Schoology is used in approximately 2,000 school districts across the country.

The superintendent expressed appreciation for the patience shown by students, staff and families during the transition period.

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