By NEIL ZOLOT
WAKEFIELD – Starting classes at the high school 45 to 60 minutes later than the current time of 7:30 a.m. will affect after school programs and activities in and out of the schools, according to a panel at the third community meeting on the matter convened by Superintendent Doug Lyons Wednesday, February 5 in Galvin Middle School auditorium.
Athletic Director Michael Murphy and high school Director of Visual and Performing Arts Thomas Bankert talked about events and games starting later and having less after school time practice and rehearsals. “It’s a puzzle,” Murphy admitted in reference to juggling bus schedules and securing ice and pool times at other facilities.
“The biggest challenge is getting kids to events with a late start,” Bankert added.
They both said the change could lead to kids getting home quite late from after school activities.
Metro North Boys and Girls Club Chief Program Officer Andrea Baez and Wakefield Academy Director Estelle Burdick talked about currently using the high school as counselors in after school programs for later arriving elementary and middle school students and how they would have to adjust their schedules.
If high school students leave school later, the younger kids will get to the after school facilities first. “We’d have to figure out alternate staffing if they get out later because we don’t want to deny them the opportunity to work,” Baez said. “We’re fully committed to having them be able to work.”
“Our goal is to ensure we work out this puzzle,” Burdick added. “We’ll work with the administration, staff and families to make sure coverage is provided.”
In a now-familiar introductory presentation, Lyons went over how other communities in the Middlesex League have already changed to a later start except Woburn, which like Wakefield still starts High School classes at 7:30. Belmont starts at 8; Wilmington, Melrose and Stoneham at 8:15; Arlington, Lexington, Reading, Watertown and Winchester at 8:30 and Burlington at 8:35.
Lyons thinks the change would be at least 45 minutes, but it is unclear how changing the starting times at the high school will affect the current start times of 8 at Galvin and 8:30 at the elementary schools. “There’ll have to be a sequence,” he said without elaborating further, although the simplest solution would seem to be just flipping the high school and elementary school start times.
A change in scheduling will also affect teachers’ schedules and they will be involved in formulating a proposal or proposals. “I don’t want to dismiss teachers as not being important in this,” Lyons said. “They are.”
In any event, nothing will change until September 2026, when the new high school opens.
Due to the cold weather and pending storm, only a few people attended.
Alex Naumann, who is considering running for School Committee, asked, “Is it worth it based on the boost or lack of boost other communities get academically? That’s something we should be looking at.”
Murphy admitted hearing “more cons than pros,” in discussions with counterparts.
Lyons answered the evidence from other places is “mixed. It’s anecdotal and more qualitative than quantitative, but we feel like the science says it is beneficial for the students. Students at the secondary level stay up later, but also sleep later. Having more time in the morning and giving students the opportunity to have more time in the morning has been a benefit. We believe it has potential to make a positive change, especially at the secondary level.”
The issue of later start times was first brought up by then-student Alexis Manzi at the School Committee meeting June 27, 2023. She said the later start times will decrease car accidents, relieve traffic congestion and give METCO students a later and easier travel schedule. She also quoted information from the American Academy of Pediatrics indicating High School students can concentrate more if school starts later, but did acknowledge later start times affecting after school activities.
“If you’re looking to see results in test scores, you can’t see it,” School Committee chairman Stephen Ingalls echoed Lyons.
He also referred to remarks by Judy Owens at the first community forum in which he recalled she said a change in start times has positive, but hard to measure psychological effects. She is a Professor of Neurology at Harvard and Director of Sleep Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Lyons plans to present the School Committee with three proposals on the matter. Two will be for different start times and new sequences for start times at all schools. The third will be to keep things as they are.
He feels “whichever recommendations we make or decision the School Committee makes, we’ll have better schedules and scheduling. We haven’t had this discussion before because we haven’t had to. The process has opened up a conversation we haven’t had.”