Hempfield Area School Board votes to shift start, dismissal times

HEMPFIELD, Pa. — Start times are changing in one local school district.

The Hempfield Area School Board on Monday night approved a shift in arrival and dismissal times for its students.

The district is trying to consolidate transportation as it faces a bus driver shortage.

Here’s the breakdown of the new start times:

High schoolers start about 10 minutes later at 7:30 a.m.
Middle schoolers start an hour earlier, also at 7:30 a.m.
Elementary school students start 30 minutes earlier, at 8:30 a.m.

Some parents opposed the change, saying the new time would mean their kids would need to be up before 6 a.m.

“Kids that age, they need more sleep. There’s multiple studies done showing preteens and teenagers need more sleep. We have little children getting home after 5 o’clock, many of them are in extracurriculars, and there’s no way in the world for them to get where they need to go,” a parent said.

The new start times take effect next school year.

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