Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) is exploring the idea of creating a new bell schedule for classrooms across the district.
The concept was discussed during a town hall meeting at Dr. Michael M. Krop High School on Monday.
The school district says it's citing studies that show the health benefits of shifting school schedules to better align with natural sleep cycles of teenagers.
"The data is clear, and a lot of students just aren't getting the amount of sleep that's required for young people that age," MDCPS school board member, Martin Karp, says.
Some parents were supportive of the conversation, but there were skeptics at Monday's meeting.
Those that opposed the idea said the new schedules would be a logistical mess. School times would interfere with after school sports, and force students and buses to navigate through rush hour traffic.
Under the current bell schedule, high school students start their days at 7:20 A.M., elementary students at 8:20 A.M. and middle school students at 9:10 A.M.
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The proposed schedule has students starting the school day at 8 in the morning - high school students at 9 - and ending it around 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
The next town hall meeting will take place at Coral Reef Senior High on January 21st.
