On Tuesday, February 10th, the Montgomery County Board of Education voted to change the bell times of all MCPS schools. Middle and high schools will start twenty minutes later, while elementary schools will start ten minutes later and have 10 minutes added to the school day.
High schools in the county will no longer begin at 7:25, as the 20-minute change means that classes begin at 7:45 a.m. The schools’ end times move from 2:10 to 2:30 p.m. Middle schools will begin at 8:15 am and end at 3 p.m., while elementary schools shift from 8:50 to 9 am or 9:15 to 9:25 a.m. Elementary school days that begin at 9 am will end at 3:25 p.m., while schools that begin at 9:25 will end at 3:50 p.m.
These changes do not affect the order students come to or leave school.
Patricia B. O’Neill, president of the Board of Education believes, “Although 20 minutes may not be ideal for extending sleep time for all high school students, it is a move in the right direction.”
This change comes at a time when many parents and schools worry about whether children, especially teens, get enough sleep. On February 10, MCPS tweeted information regarding another possible option that could be implemented in the future. The tweet detailed the Kauffman option, which allows high schools to start at 8:50 and end at 3:35 p.m. According to the tweet, this option would not be implemented until 2016-17 school year.