VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Beach School Board has decided not to change school start times.
The school board voted 10-1 Tuesday against changing start times. The move would have pushed back high school start times. The lone “yes” vote was made by member Dottie Holtz.
Senior Executive Director for High Schools Daniel Keever previously recommended the division shift start times so high schoolers go to school two hours later.
However, a majority of survey responses from the community, parents and guardians, students and teachers indicated a preference to maintain the existing start time schedule.
Virginia Beach high school students start at 7:20 a.m., with middle and elementary schools following.
Keever previously said that out of the several options weighed, the following schedule would match medical research for students’ sleep patterns:
- Elementary A schools: 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Elementary B schools: 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Middle schools: 8:40 a.m. – 3:10 p.m.
- High schools: 9:20 a.m. – 4:10 p.m.
Unlike Virginia Beach schools, Norfolk Public Schools voted over the summer to implement new start times for the 2020-2021 school year. Click here to see the changes to the NPS schedule.
