Winnipeg school trustee wants to look into later start times for high school students

High school students in the Winnipeg School Division could get to sleep in a little later in the future.

Ward 6 Trustee Cathy Collins presented a notice of motion at a meeting Monday night, asking administrative staff to look into the impact of a later start time. Classes currently start at 9 a.m.

“I’ve seen a lot of articles that adolescents these days aren’t getting enough sleep and it affects their cognitive performance. They need between eight to ten hours of sleep,” Collins explained.

“If they sleep a bit more, they have benefits like improved physical and mental health and alertness. Since we’re concerned about graduating students and attendance, I thought this would be a good way to achieve better results.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "If they sleep a bit more, they have benefits like improved physical and mental health and alertness. Since we're concerned about graduating students and attendance, I thought this would be a good way to achieve better results."

Many schools in Europe and the United States have embraced later start times based on mounting evidence, but the move has been rare to this point in Canada. Collins noted a northern Ontario school board that recently pushed back the start time 50 minutes to 9 a.m.

“Kids stay up later and get up later, that’s one of the parts of the things that happens because of their hormonal changes,” Collins said. “Many students have jobs after school, there are sports programs and after-school homework programs. All these things have to go into the mix to be talked about.”

This idea is in its infancy, as it still needs to be debated and voted on by the board Jan. 15. Collins believes she has the support to get it passed.

If passed, the administration would survey parents and staff as part of the research process, looking at any potential financial implications such a move would have. It would also look at what impact later start times have had on students in other jurisdictions.