information from Highline Public Schools

Highline students will be able to hit the snooze in the morning come this fall or next. Highline Public Schools plans to change high school start times to about 30 minutes later than current start times. This change is in response to feedback from students, families and staff, as well as research that shows teenagers do better in school when they can sleep later.

To facilitate this, Highline will combine bus routes so middle school and high school students ride the same buses. The middle school day will start five minutes after the high school start time.

Proposed start times would be approximately 8:00 a.m. for high school and 8:05 a.m. for middle school.

Highline can make this start time change as early as fall 2018. However, start times would need to be adjusted again in fall 2019, when the new middle school opens and sixth grade moves to middle school. This change would be an adjustment of a few minutes in bus pick-up times and start times.

Highline is seeking input on when to make the change in high school start times: fall 2018 with another small shift in fall 2019, or all changes in fall 2019. Take the High School Start Time survey to give your input. The survey will be open until January 19.

Give your input at highlineschools.org/starttimesurvey.