Start High School Later in Chesterfield County, Virginia

Let's set our Teenagers up for success!

As someone who experienced severe lack of sleep per living location and the bus routes I can agree kids need to get more sleep and this time change seems very fitting for such an outcome.

My son's bus arrives at 6:08. He's 15 and has autism. It's pretty awful that all adolescents in Chesterfield are made to function with unnecessary sleep deficits when we as a society know better, but to increase rather than decrease the burden for vulnerable populations like students with disabilities--it should be a crime.

as a 20+ year resident of Chesterfield County, I am disappointed that this issue has not been addressed and fixed by our county. It has come up many times over the past 20 years and every single time, lame excuses from our government keep it from moving forward. Research has been done to show the benefits from alertness to less accidents, so it just isn't blind complaining by parents. We live in the Bon Air district, so we have had the fortunate elementary school schedule of the middle school. The elementary school kids are the natural early risers as I am seeing in my own house with a 5th & 8th grader. Chesterfield please take action this time.

My son William has autism and is apart of the autism program at Midlothian High. He does not get up at 7 am he is up at 4:30 am an his bus picks him up around 5 am.

PLEASE make this happen, Chesterfield!

Please do this out of fairness to our High Schoolers future. NOW !!

Research provide data to support a later start time for Chesterfield County high and middle school students.

I hate my son waking to the bus stop in the pitch dark. I constantly remind him to watch for cars because they may be high schooler that just got their license and I am sure half of them our texting and driving. Also he is involved in sports some days he gets home at 9 pm still has to do homework and barely gets the sleep he needs for next day. Most adults don't start a workday as early as these kids.

6th graders shouldn't be going to school this early. My son will be on this schedule for the next 7 years! He naps constantly and often complains of headaches. He's in bed at 9:30.

Special Needs are boarding at 6:20 am. Ridiculous!!!

As a parent of rising students and as a former student myself, I absolutely agree that high schoolers would benefit from a later start time. I recall the struggles in getting up at 5:30am to get to school by 7:20am, the tiredness and inability to focus thoughout the day. Also, it gives teenagers plenty of time in the afternoons to get into all sorts of trouble. Parents should not be naive to that. Most working adults don't report at 7:20 am so why should we expect this from teenagers? Typically the younger kids are the ones going to bed at 7:30/8pm and more likely to be early risers. Again, you have my full support.

Our children should be our first priority. Per medical guidelines, high school start times should change to later times.

Thank you for urging our school board to keep this discussion as a top priority.

I feel that the time change is necessary for safety and health reasons. I have a niece and nephew attending chesterfield county schools and I do see where the change would benefit them

We need to look at how other larger school districts have addressed this issue

It is to much to get these kids to school that early. I have a son at Thomas Dale and it would be so much better for them to do something like an 8:00am to 4:00pm schedule.

Teenagers and early morning DO NOT mix

10 years ago Featured

My son is a junior at Cosby and daughter in 6th grade at Swift Creek. Both are on bus before 7am. Entire family is exhausted and brain fried by Thursday every week. Fatigue has a negative impact on family time in evenings as well as homework and other activities.

I have a junior at Cosby high school. Teenagers need more sleep - mine gets to bed by 9 pm but still is groggy getting up at 5:30 for school.