WESTFORD — After months of discussions, the School Committee on Monday voted to delay start times by up to 25 minutes for older students, beginning in the 2025 school year.
Under the new schedule, early elementary students in grades K-2 will start at 9:10 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m., while grades 3-5 will start at 8:50 a.m. and end at 2:55 p.m. Middle and high school students at Westford Academy will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 2:20 p.m.
Westford joins several other districts, including Arlington, Ashland, Beverly and Concord-Carlisle among others whose start times for high school students begin at or later than 8 a.m.
Changing start times
The decision follows over a year of deliberations which began in 2023 when the School Start Times Subcommittee was formed, which aimed to explore how to shift students’ schedules without increasing bussing costs, impacting ridership, or disrupting after-school activities.
“This has been on this committee’s radar for many many years,” School Committee Member Sean Kelly said, “This is kind of a tail end of a lot of social-emotional policies that this committee has put into place to provide the best educational environment possible for our students to thrive in.”
Vice Chair Kathryn Clear highlighted extensive community input, including meetings with faculty and administrators and public surveys. Feedback showed concerns about after-school care, sports schedules, and student safety on buses.
“This group has been working on it since October 2023 with our subcommittee, we’ve had numerous meetings, and numerous data research input. We’ve had multiple community opportunities for input and feedback, we’ve worked with the Student Advisory Committee on getting feedback,” she said.
A survey conducted by officials found that out of over 1,300 responses, 73% of respondents supported changing start times, while 69% of 432 students surveyed were in favor.
Limited impact on after-school activities
Westford Academy Athletic Director Jeff Bunyon indicated the time changes would have minimal impact on sports schedules.
“Jeff Bunyon was involved with the group since last October when we were giving him the initial potential of an 8 a.m. start time, which in October he was saying would have a minimal impact on school sports and practice times,” committee Vice Chair Kathryn Clear said.
Officials also worked with Recreation Director Michelle Collett, who assured that high school students could continue to supervise after-school care for younger students despite the new schedule. However, Collett said she was confident that the high schoolers, who would be released 35 minutes before the elementary schools, could make it to activities on time.
While officials plan to address concerns about early morning drop-offs, Chair Valery Young acknowledged that some challenges remain, particularly for families with inconsistent routines.
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Chew noted that any changes to early arrival times could result in increased fees to cover staffing costs. Discussions on adjusting these fees are ongoing, and no decision has been made at the time of reporting.
Committee members emphasized that while the schedule shift aims to improve students’ well-being, families will still need to prioritize healthy sleep habits at home.
“It comes down to a lot of family routines at that point, it’s not that we can influence that as a district or a committee it’s what families do in their house,” Young said.
The changes will take effect in the 2025 school year, with officials confident it will balance various community needs.
