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From NBC 4 &#8212; High school students in Montgomery County may get to sleep in a little longer if a recommendation by the county&#8217;s superintendent is approved.</p>
<p>Superintendent Dr. Joshua P. Starr has recommended that the county&#8217;s high schools start at 8:15 a.m. &#8212; 50 minutes later than its current start time.</p>
<p>The recommendation follows a 10-month study by the 2013 Bell Times Work Group. Teens typically need between 8.5 and 9.5 hours of sleep each night. But the group found that thanks to 6 a.m. wake-up times, many students are not getting a sufficient amount sleep. While the effect sleep deprivation has on academic achievement is inconclusive, Starr says the health benefits are clear.</p>
<p>“I am making this recommendation because I believe it is in the best interests of our students. There is extensive research that demonstrates that adolescents are simply not getting enough sleep. This is a public health and safety issue,” Starr said.</p>
<p>Under Starr&#8217;s recommendation, middle schools would start at 7:45 a.m. &#8212; 10 minutes earlier than their current time while elementary school students would tack an extra 30 minutes to the end of their day leaving at 3:35 p.m. and 4 p.m.</p>
<p>Currently, Montgomery County elementary schools have the second shortest school day in the state.</p>
<p>The Bell Times Work Group will now work to determine what impact an extended school day would have on elementary school students. A series of public meetings, focus groups and surveys will then be held for public input.</p>
<p>&#8220;I believe this is an important issue. I know there will be a great deal of public discussion about this recommendation and that it is likely to generate a great deal of passion,&#8221; Starr said.</p>
<p>The plan has a preliminary cost of $12 million a year. If the new start times are approved, students wouldn&#8217;t see any changes until the 2015-2016 school year.</p>
<p>Montgomery County is not the only school district thinking about pushing back start times for high school students.</p>
<p>School officials in Fairfax County, Va., hired a team of sleep specialists at the beginning of the school year to help develop a plan to delay the start time for high schools. The school system is looking to move the high school start time to 8 a.m. or later. Nearly all county public schools currently start at 7:20 a.m.</p>
<p>In making their determination, the team will look at crash rates, depression and school performance.</p>