VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A petition to keep the current Virginia Beach City Public Schools start times has over 11,000 signatures on Monday.
The Change.org petition was started six months ago by Mya Day, a current high school student.
The Virginia Beach City Public Schools is considering changing the school start time for students. School leaders said delaying the start of school could help with attendance, grades, and allows students more time to sleep.
The school board is expected to vote on the topic in November. If approved, leaders may implement the change by the 2020 to 2021 school year.
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The petition against changing the start times claims that it will cause more issues. It will not only impact the students but also parents and staff.
"Making schools start later would mean that it would be dismissed later," Mya said in the petition's description. "This interferes with jobs, as it would make it more difficult for upperclassmen to balance work and school. It also effects extracurricular activities such as sports teams and clubs, the social lives of students, etc."
The proposed new school start times are as follows:
Elementary Schools:
- A Time: 7:30 a.m. -2:00 p.m.
- B Time: 8:00 a.m - 2:30 p.m.
Middle Schools:
- 8:40 a.m. - 3:10 p.m.
High Schools:
- 9:20 a.m. - 4:20 p.m.
Senior Executive Director of High Schools, Daniel Keever, told 13News Now earlier this month that he’s researched later start times for students for several years, and he believes it’s the right choice.
“Change of this magnitude is going to bring some contradictions for everyone involved," said Keever. "Not a single entity that wouldn’t be involved in some level of this change.”
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