Bedtime rolls around about 2 or 3 a.m. Across the nation, momentum slowly builds to pressure schools to change their start times. One in four parents surveyed by the National Sleep Foundation said they favor adjusting school hours so teens can sleep later in the morning. Cincinnati Public School leaders watch the later start time debate with keen interest, but aren't planning to change. School districts nationwide blame bus schedules.
Buses take the older kids to school first and then pick up younger children.
Some districts have adopted later start times. Preliminary findings show that students at Minnesota urban and suburban high schools that delayed their start times felt more rested and alert during the first hour of class. Not everyone favors later start times. Some Tristate parents say that would wreak havoc with after-school jobs and activities. Paul Tomes of Anderson Township has five children, ages 11-17.