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Silver Creek schools to evaluate later start to day

OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen Silver Creek Student Board Member Molly Shaw is shown presenting to the Board at a recent meeting.

SILVER CREEK — It stands to reason that well-rested students are in a better position to succeed at school. After several months of research, the Silver Creek Central School District has come to the conclusion that a change in start time could potentially benefit the student population.

Silver Creek Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston and the district’s administrators have been discussing the idea of a later start time for several months. A presentation was given to the Board of Education earlier this school year on the subject. At the latest Board meeting, Ralston spoke to what the research shows when it comes to later start times.

According to the research Silver Creek has found, the later in the morning that school starts, the more sleep students will get the night before. Ralston said the research shows every 1-2 minutes later school starts equates to an extra 1-2 minutes of sleep for students the night before. Ralston said the research does not support the notion that students will just stay up later if they know school starts later.

Ralston also stated that there is “a direct correlation” between later school start times and student achievement. After implementing an attendance campaign this year geared toward getting students to school, Ralston is now focused on “digging a little bit deeper” to improve student productivity.

Moving forward, the district will be conducting a study with the support of the Western New York Education Service Council to further evaluate later start times in future years. The district will begin its study in late spring to early summer of this year, along with committee meetings, focus groups, and community surveys. The district’s goal is to make a decision by November, with an announcement in January regarding what the district has decided for the 2027-28 school year and beyond.

Silver Creek Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston discussed a potential change in start times for the district in the coming years at a recent meeting.

“If this does happen, it’s a big undertaking, and it’s obviously a significant change to our community and families. It’s not something that we want to do quickly or rushed,” Ralston said.

The next meeting of the Silver Creek Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m., with an additional meeting the following week on Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m.

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