Later Bensalem High School Start Times On The Table

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — It's on the table for discussion.

As the new Bensalem School Board begins its meetings over the next few months, one policy that may change is the start of school at Bensalem High School.

Several school board members — both beginning their first terms and some of the board for several years weighed in about later high school start times. (The Pennsbury School District made the change to start this school year.)

Five Bensalem school board members weighed in on the topic when asked about it by Patch.

Students start at Bensalem High School at 7:30 a.m. each day.

"You're asking them to drive and learn so early," returning School Director Rachel Fingles said. "A later start time would be better. There's a lot of science behind it. Pennsbury has done a good job with it."

School Director Karen Winters said there is "absolutely no doubt" that research aligns with changing the start time to a later time for high schoolers.

"I absolutely recognize the importance of aligning our school schedules with what we know about adolescent sleep patterns," Winters said. "At the same time, any change of this scale requires careful, thoughtful planning."

Winters said that transportation logistics need to be considered, such as increased costs, after-school activities, athletic schedules, childcare needs for families, and the impact on younger students' schedules as well.

"Adjusting start times has a ripple effect for everyone in the district," Winters said. "There are significant factors to consider. Our goal as a board is to make sure any decision we make supports students of varying ages, while still being workable for families, staff, and our community."

School Director Rebecca Mirra said later school start times are a major topic on the national scale.

"The research is pretty compelling," Mirra said. "Kids simply do better when they get more sleep. It helps their mental health, their focus, their attendance, all of it. I’d love to see if Bensalem can make this kind of positive change for our students."

As chairwoman of the school board's policy committee, Mirra said she wants a data-driven review of potential transportation issues, sports and activity schedules, staffing, and costs.

"In past discussions, transportation has been the biggest concern, and we need clear answers before moving forward," she said, adding that the school board would welcome feedback about later school start times from parents, students, teachers, and the community.

School Board Vice President Stephanie A. Gonzalez Ferrandez said that she and Fingles started looking at later start times in 2019 when both served their first tenures on the board.

She said the policy change was derailed by the Covid pandemic.

"In 2019, we did not have bus driver shortages in our district the way we do now," Ferrandez said. "So when I came back to the board in 2023, I wanted to pick this up again, but the logistics have stopped us."

New School Director Rodger Allen said he can see a big benefit for families with later high school start times.

"A later start could give older students a little more breathing room in the morning to help parents get younger siblings ready, so adults can get to work on time," Allen said. "That kind of support matters for working families."

"There’s a lot of power in learning to wake up early, get yourself ready, and start your day with intention," he said. "Many successful people share that simple habit of getting up early and using that quiet time to get ahead."

While Allen agrees that the school board should review research on teen sleep so "our kids aren’t chronically exhausted," he believes that schools and families should work together on healthier routines and mentoring around those routines: Helping students manage their time, limiting late-night screens, and building structure into their day.

"That way, they’re rested and they’re learning the discipline and responsibility that will carry them into college, careers, and adulthood," Allen said.