Could Earlier Starts Be Coming To Michigan Public Schools?

The time in which the school day starts has been under debate for a little over a decade now. For as long as I can remember, elementary schools have started around 8:30-9:00 which would allow them to be in school until about 3:30-4:00, making it easier for parents to find transportation and childcare arrangements.

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Also, Middle and High schools have started classes at 7-7:30 every day which releases them from school at about 2:30-3:00 opening them up to pick up younger siblings and babysit if needed. Although these have been the norms, there have been plenty of studies that have shown if you flip the start times then students at all levels are more successful.

Transportation to school is one of the most important parts of the day and for a large portion of children that means taking the school bus to and from school every day. For years, the staggered school start times had been helpful for students and transportation staff as everyone got to school on time, now that isn't quite the case.

Michigan Public Schools Could Have Earlier & Staggered Start Times

Since the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a shortage of bus drivers especially here in Michigan. IN fact, many bus drivers were running multiple routes and this routinely had students late to school because there weren't enough drivers. This problem remains a concern as there is still a shortage of drivers and other solutions have been discussed.

Other states in the country have started to shift some of their school times earlier to give their drivers more time to complete all their routes while students are on time to school. Many of them have chosen to move the high school times up a half hour and create a staggered start time system among the three levels.

So far, Michigan hasn't implemented this process but there is speculation that this could come to Michigan. To be honest, this wouldn't be the worst idea as high school students would still be out of school in between 2 and 3 pm while parents have time to make arrangements for their younger children.

Are you a fan of the earlier and staggered start times to the school day or is this one of those situations where you don't fix what isn't broken? Should they look to hire more bus drivers and find incentives or is it time for a new system?