Thea Digiammerino

West Hartford Weighs Later School Start Times

Following many other districts nationwide and in the state, the West Hartford Board of Education has been conducting a study for the past school year, weighing the challenges and benefits of starting school later in the day.

“A lot of parents are going to be affected by this,” said parent Chris Sesta. “Keep it the way it is. The end result being, we need to remain competitive in the world.”

They surveyed thousands of parents students and teachers in the district.

School leaders said they found the majority of people surveyed are in favor of later start times for high school students. For middle school, most are in favor, but by a smaller margin. Most elementary school people surveyed are happy with student start times.

A Conard senior we spoke to thinks later is better.

“I personally didn’t have a first period so I was able to come in about 9:15 every day and I think it really helped,” Luke Serdechny, a senior at Conard said. “Getting an extra hour of sleep really helped, and I think it’s helped me get better grades.”

School officials say the survey is only one part of the decision process. There won’t be a vote until next school year, and any possible changes won’t take effect until the 2019-2020 school year.

Contact Us