Unionville-Chadds Ford School District issued the following announcement on May 18.
Dear UCF Community,
During Monday evening’s School Board Work Session (5/9/22), the District presented a plan to revisit School Start Time. This was a Board goal from two years ago and was put on hold due to COVID.
Please click here to view the recording of the School Start Time presentation as well as the subsequent discussion from Monday evening. The presentation slides may also be viewed here and include several links to articles and resources on School Start Time.
In 2017, The District adopted a later start time for the high school and middle school from 7:35 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. This was a modest change that has had a positive impact on our students’ wellness. Research continues to show that sleep in adolescents is critical to their development and success in school. This research and the recent movement of several area schools pushing their school start time later, encouraged us to take a second look at School Start Time and whether or not a more significant change would benefit our students.
No decision has been made and the District and School Board will spend the next several months reviewing all options, including no change. The plan is to present a recommendation to the School Board in the Fall. Any potential change would be implemented for the 2023-2024 school year.
There are many things to consider and we know our community will have varied opinions. There will be multiple opportunities for our community to engage in the process as we take a look at School Start Time. Next week, the District will be hosting a ThoughtExchange for our community to share their thoughts and ideas. We will share more information about this opportunity next week.
The Board will continue to discuss School Start Time during their scheduled Work Sessions and Board Meetings. The public is invited to attend these meetings and provide public comment on the topic. Additionally, our community can email any feedback about School Start Time to SST@ucfsd.net.
The District will review all of the feedback and look at all possible options before making any recommendation. We anticipate sharing our recommendation with the School Board in the Fall at which time we will engage with our community again through another ThoughtExchange, surveys and focus groups before making any final decision.
Kind Regards,
John Sanville
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up