The Winnipeg School Division wants to hear from parents, guardians and caregivers of division students in grades seven to 12 about the possibility of starting high school later in the morning.
Last year, the WSD board voted to pass a motion from trustee Cathy Collins to study later start times for high school students. Sleep experts say teens struggle to get adequate sleep and their biological clocks drive them to stay awake later in the evening and sleep in later in the morning.
The Winnipeg School Division has released a fact sheet for parents that including information on a McGill study that found high school students who start school at 9:30 a.m. get more sleep than peers who start at 8 a.m. and were 10 per cent less likely to get started.
“There has been a great deal of educational research suggesting that the ongoing struggle to encourage adolescents to get more sleep has more to do with biological changes in a child's maturing body than it does with their bedtime choices,” reads the Winnipeg School Division’s website.
The division also released a list of potential advantages and disadvantages, like difficulties in scheduling after school activities should school go later in the day.
Parents can complete the online survey by following the link on the division’s website.
