Many Anne Arundel County students can hit the snooze button one more time when the Maryland county shifts school start times for next school year.
As part what it calls healthier start times, preliminary schedule of hours has classes at comprehensive high schools at Anne Arundel County Public Schools starting at 8:30 a.m.; 9:15 a.m. at all comprehensive middle schools; and between 8 and 8:30 a.m. at all comprehensive elementary schools
The schedule reflects the plan adopted last year by the county board of education to “shift to healthier school start and dismissal times for students when classes begin in August.”
You can find the complete schedule here. Some minor changes to start and dismissal times due to traffic concerns, road construction or other issues may take place over the next few months.
Schools superintendent George Arlotto said providing the preliminary schedule early will help families make necessary adjustments to their lives.
“A shift in school hours will create healthier environments for all of our students, but it is also a sea change to which families, employees, and the community will have to adapt,” Arlotto said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that not getting enough sleep is common among high school students and is associated with health risks, including being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using drugs, as well as poor academic performance.
The Montgomery County Board of Education voted in 2015 for later start times in county schools. Two years later, education leaders voice concerns that younger students had trouble adjusting.
