There’s no firm timeline on if or when the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) will change start times at its schools.
At this week’s UCDSB Board of Trustees meeting, the board discussed a proposal to change start times at its elementary schools to 8:00 AM, and at its secondary schools to 9:30 AM.
The proposal, which had been in the works since last October, was created because of data showing older students would benefit from sleeping in later.
Some trustees raised concerns, arguing it might not prepare kids enough for the reality of life after high school.
“I know as Trustees, our job is to get them through high school successfully and learn and get great life experience,” explained Ward 6 Trustee Lisa Swan. “But when they go on to college or university, or a working life, or whatever they may choose to do, we’re saying, ‘okay, you can start at 9:00 now,’ but in real life, you might have to get up at 6:30.”
The board amended the motion to declare that it “supports earlier start times for elementary students and later start times for secondary students,” and to begin talks with transportation partners to make it happen.
The original proposal would have been implemented by the start of the 2024-25 school year, but there’s no timeline for the new decision.