VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For the past four years, Virginia Beach City Public School has been engaging the conversation regarding the possible shift in school start times.
In November, the School Board of the City of Virginia Beach voted to approve a resolution to change school start times, and the school's administration started developing four schedule options that would provide adolescent students more sleep time.
Now, the school district is looking for feedback on those four options from students, staff members, parents and Virginia Beach community members.
Starting April 29, the public can weigh in on the four potential options until Wednesday, May 15.
Currently, school start times are as follows:
- High Schools: 7:20 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.
- Middle Schools: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Elementary A Schools: 8:10 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
- Elementary B Schools: 8:40 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.
The school time change option A would move times to:
- High Schools: 9:25 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
- Middle Schools: 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
- Elementary A School: 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Elementary B School: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
School officials said option A and option B is projected to cost approximately $2.5 million in one-time costs in order to buy field lights for high schools.
Option B for start time changes is as follows:
- High Schools: 9:40 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Middle Schools: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Elementary A Schools: 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
- Elementary B Schools: 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Start time option C:
- High Schools: 9:20 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.
- Middle Schools: 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Elementary A School: 8:05 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
- Elementary B Schools: 8:40 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.
The school division said strengths with this option include ample opportunity for middle school students to participate in afterschool activities or remediation. A challenge with this option is that the school district would need more bus drivers.
The final school start time option, option D:
- High Schools: 8 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
- Middle Schools: 10:10 a.m. to 4:40 p.m.
- Elementary A School: 8:50 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.
- Elementary B Schools: 9:20 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.
The Virginia Beach City School District said option D benefits include that there are no additional bus drivers needed, and all adolescent students would have school start times later than 8 a.m. A few challenges include middle school start and end times would be later, and all middle school fields would require lighting.
For those interested in learning more about the medical research behind the change in schedule as well as the development process of the options, the school division is hosting three community meetings in May.
Attendees will hear a brief presentation and have the opportunity to weigh in directly on the school start times options.
The schedule for the meetings is as follows:
- Monday, May 6 at Bettie F. Williams Elementary School
- Tuesday, May 7, at Landstown High School
- Wednesday, May 8, at Plaza Middle School
All community meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m.
In late May, VBCPS administration will bring the community meeting feedback as well as the survey results to the School Board. Then, in July, the school administration will bring forth its recommendation for the new start schedule for the School Board's consideration, with a vote to follow in September.
The changes to the schedule will not take place until September 2020.
Click here for more information about the Virginia Beach City Public Schools start time changes research.