It's been a topic of discussion for years - should high schoolers have a later start time? There's positives and negatives to both sides of the discussion but a school district in Michigan has now changed the game leaving it up to the student.

MLive reports that three high schools in Ann Arbor will begin a late start in the 2017-2018 school year.

That would put the start time at 8:39 a.m. for Huron, 8:49 a.m. for Pioneer and 9:01 a.m. for Skyline."

Currently, in the Ann Arbor district, the high schools all start at 7:45 a.m.

The late start will be an option for students, and their parents, and if chosen students' first class will technically be 2nd period. The executive director of Ann Arbor Public Schools said the main reason for this isn't necessarily about time but rather flexibility for students and what works best for their schedules.

If a student does choose the late start option he or she will have to either:

  • Take an additional class at the end of the school day
  • Enroll in an online class
  • Enroll in summer school OR
  • Take a community resource class

This is also in response to a survey given to parents, which showed that the majority of them support later start times.

In this next school year, the district will also have more buses to accommodate the new program.

In an article published in 2015, the CDC recommends that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. (or later) because it not only betters academics but also a students' mental health.

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