The Westford School Committee recognizes the absolutely critical role adequate sleep plays in the health, well-being, and academic performance of our students. We know that teens need 8.5-9.25 hours of sleep a night, and we know that our middle schoolers and high schoolers are getting much less than that. Finally, we know that the science tells us that moving school start times later corresponds with students getting more sleep.
Given the large area of Westford and the number of schools we have, transportation has been the limiting factor in changing start times for our schools. We know that to make later school start times, there will likely have to be changes in bus routing, possibly to include having students who attend different grade-level schools riding the bus at the same time.
The School Committee wants to hear from you! Please take a moment to fill out this form to share your thoughts on school start times and their impact on student well-being, family schedules, busing, etc. Please respond by Friday, March 15, 2024.
To learn more about the case for later school start times, visit https://www.startschoollater.net.
