History of Time and Schedule Investigation

School Committee Work on Start Times in 2014 & 2015

Dear Members of the Natick Public Schools Community:    

The Natick School Committee first took up the conversation about a possible start-time change for the district in August of 2012.  Since that time, there have been many meetings, a district survey, a start-time resources website published, three community-wide forums, and an Impact Study Task Force convened to determine if and how Natick could provide the students of Natick the unequivocal benefits of a later start-time for adolescents.

The current status of the start-time investigation is that the Natick School Committee voted to accept the recommendation of the Impact Study Task Force, which was to take no action on the current start-time option being investigated that would largely affect NHS with an 8:15-3:02 day versus the current 7:30-2:17 school day.  Please see the minutes below from the 12/17 task-force meeting at which this recommendation was made.

During the work of the task force, initial thinking was confirmed that starting the robust high school afternoon, extracurricular activities 45 minutes later would require late school-day flexibility to address some of the identified inflexibilities built into the system, some of which are outside Natick's control.  One of the options being considered to try to create the late-day flexibility was to move Common Directed Study (CDS) from the first period to the last period of the school day; however, the NHS staff had raised serious concerns about tampering with the current schedule.

The current schedule has been in use for three years, which was designed collaboratively by the staff to create longer classroom periods in anticipation of Natick's move to a 1:1 instructional environment.  At the time of creation, CDS was largely put at the beginning of the day to create an opportunity for "priv" for the GPA-eligible juniors and seniors to arrive to school later and reduce tardiness.  However, over time, CDS has developed into an integral part of the school day when Guidance Seminar can occur without using class time, for certain clubs or groups to meet, for additional AP support, and for staff to meet with their Professional Learning Communities during the day. 

It was felt that there would be serious degradation to this valuable block if moved to the end of the day when students and coaching staff might be dismissed for far-away competitions, for students who would need to leave for employment, potentially by parents for appointments, or by kids asking to be dismissed early.  Given that the staff provided such credible issues with changing a schedule that they genuinely like and feel is working effectively, it became clear that the current option being investigated would be unworkable, hence the recommendation and approval by School Committee to take no action for a start-time change.

However, School Committee strongly affirms the unequivocal body of research about the requirements for 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep nightly for adolescents to perform optimally socially, emotionally, and academically and the real impact when students do not get adequate sleep. Within the research, 87% of high school students report they do not get the required amount of sleep, and 71% of parents are unaware of their children's sleep deficit. 

Given how compelling the research is, we will continue to look at ways to create greater awareness with staff, students, and families about the benefits of sufficient sleep and the dangers of habitual sleep deficits.  We will also be working with NPS Administration and NHS staff leadership to identify creative ways for students to achieve optimal sleep, which in turn directly results in higher student achievement whether by enhanced student well-being and/or academic success.

Amy Mistrot
Natick School Committee and Impact Study-Task Force Chair
On behalf of the Natick School Committee

September 23, 2014

To Natick Staff, Parents, & Community,

The Natick School Committee has asked the Administration to examine the possibility of scheduling a later school start time for Natick High School. This potential change could be implemented for the 2015 – 2016 school year. To ensure that the best decision is made on behalf of the students who attend the Natick Public Schools this website has been set up as a resource to keep the community informed on this important issue. 

In the spring of 2014 the School Committee conducted three forums to elicit staff, parent and community feedback. They were held on:

  • Monday, May 12th at 7:00 p.m. at Wilson Middle School Auditorium

  • Saturday, June 7th at 9 a.m. at Brown Elementary School Cafeteria

  • Monday, June 9th at 7:00 p.m. at Natick High School Auditorium

At this time, you can still send feedback to the School Committee at – Email School Committee or Superintendent Peter Sanchioni at – Email Peter Sanchioni

 At the School Committee meeting on Monday, September 22, 2014, the Committee passed a resolution to consider the following schedule as a potential start-time change.   

Difference from Current Times
Kennedy and Wilson    7:45 - 2:00         5 Minutes Earlier Start
Natick High School       8:15 - 3:02        45 Minutes Later Start Time
Ben-Hem                        8:35 – 2:50        20 Minutes Later Start Time
Brown                              8:35 – 2:50        5 Minutes Later Start Time
Johnson                          8:35 – 2:50        5 Minutes Later Start Time
Lilja                                  8:35 – 2:50        5 Minutes Later Start Time
Memorial                         8:35 – 2:50        15 Minutes Later Start Time

In order to provide clarity about possible changes to the high school class schedule, to after-school help with teachers, to after-school activities, and to students' ability to maintain work schedules, the Committee has directed the Superintendent to form an Implementation Task Force.  This task force will be comprised of high school staff, Natick Public Schools' and Natick High School Administration, and School Committee members to examine the logistical impact of the potential change described above.  Findings of this task force will be shared at an upcoming School Committee meeting.   Families will be invited and encouraged to follow this process. 

More Resources on Later Start Times for Students

High Schools in Massachusetts that have Changed their Start Times for Students

Survey on Start Times for Students
(Surveys were conducted at the time when multiple options for schedule changes were being considered)

  • SUMMARY REPORT of the Parent and Teacher Surveys.

  • PARENT SURVEY detailed responses as of March 31, 2014. Note: survey results are sorted by school.