JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley may start school later next school year to give its teenage students more time to sleep, hopefully combating a number of issues related to sleep deprivation.

The district is considering bumping the start time for its secondary schools from 7:34 a.m. to 8:09 a.m. beginning the 2018-19 school year. Students would be dismissed at 2:41 p.m.

Elementary schools, consequentially, would be pushed back about 15 minutes, to start at 9 a.m. Elementary dismissal would be moved to 3:30 p.m.

“I can tell you the pros of starting school later to help this issue far outweigh the cons,” said Tracy Vitale, school district superintendent.

Vitale and other administrators presented the idea to the school board at Monday night's meeting and received a positive response from the school directors. They are seeking feedback on it from the school community before making a final decision, Vitale said.

The Rev. Reid Moon, who was a school bus driver for the district, said kids would routinely sleep on his school bus after being picked up shortly after 6 a.m.

“Thanks to the administration for doing this,” he said. “I'm very much in favor of it.”

Not only would this change allow secondary students in grades 7 to 12 to sleep in, it may also give the district some other benefits.

Double bus runs at Haine and transfer buses at Connoquenessing Valley Elementary and Evans City School could almost entirely be eliminated, said Sean McCarty, assistant superintendent of elementary education.

High school vo-tech students would still start at 8 a.m., but the later start time will give the students an extra class period at the end of the day when they return to school, said Matt McKinley, assistant superintendent of secondary education.

Vitale said they ran through several models of a new schedule that would work for all the school buildings and also improve some logistical issues in the process.

Sleep deprivation in teenagers has been connected to a variety of problems, Vitale said. She and other administrators have been closely studying the issue for several years. Their research showed that sleep deprivation can impair students' ability to be alert, pay attention, solve problems, cope with stress and retain information, affecting their academic performance. Additionally, teens who do not get enough sleep may have issues with their general health, mental and behavioral health and poor impulse control.

Lack of sleep is a safety issue when considering how many teenagers drive to school every morning.

Teens need 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep, according to recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation. In addition to outside demands like homework, athletics, activities and jobs, their biological makeup works against them as well.

Teenagers don't secrete melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep, until around 11 p.m., Vitale said, while adults begin secreting melatonin around 10 p.m.

“That's explanation as to why even if you establish an early bedtime, sometimes they still can't fall asleep,” she said

In the fall, the district surveyed teachers, students and parents about sleep deprivation. The results showed that a majority of students get about five to seven hours of sleep per night, going to bed between 9 and 11 p.m. and waking up between 5 and 6 a.m. More than 75 percent of secondary students, or about 2,500, responded to the survey.

About 70 percent of teachers said they noticed fatigue impacting learning at least one or two times a week.

The research the administrators compiled, the complete survey results and other information on the possible change can be found on the district's website at svsd.net/sleepstudy.