Our children deserve enough sleep to learn, grow, and thrive. Right now, many elementary schools in our district start far too early, with 7:45 start times and busses arriving as early as 7:05 a.m., forcing children as young as five and six to walk to the bus before sunrise for most of the winter.

It’s not healthy. It’s not safe. And it’s not sustainable for working families.

 
The Problem
Like most families in our district, we’re two working parents trying to balance school, childcare, and work. The current “early start” elementary schedule makes that balance nearly impossible.

Our six-year-old’s bus arrives at 7:05 a.m. He needs to wake by 6:15 to make it, which means bedtime has to be 7:30 p.m. or earlier to get the 11 hours of sleep recommended by his pediatrician. With soccer and other sports practice, dinner, and bedtime routines, that schedule is impossible.

We see the impact: he’s overtired, cranky, emotional and has trouble focusing.
Research backs this up — sleep loss in children is linked to inattention, irritability, weaker immune systems, and behavioral issues.

Our older child faces a different but equally frustrating problem. He will soon start Middle School at 9:30 a.m., nearly two hours later than his younger brother’s. That means one child’s day begins before sunrise, and the other’s starts after our workday has begun. Family routines, childcare plans, and shared meals have become logistical puzzles that feel impossible to solve. Teachers report that Middle School students are not getting extra sleep, but instead staying up later at night, playing video games and chatting with friends on their phones. 

 
This Schedule Hurts Families
Families spend hundreds of dollars each month on after-school care because kids finish at 2:20 p.m. — almost three hours before most parents finish work. Our elementary kids walk to buses in the dark for nearly 50 winter mornings, facing safety risks from traffic and slippery conditions. Working parents are stretched thin by school schedules built on an outdated model that assumes a parent is home full-time.
 
What the Experts Say
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 9–12 hours of sleep for children aged 6–12, and the American Academy of Pediatrics urges schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. for adolescents.

While the AAP focused on teens, it’s clear that younger children also need adequate sleep — and should not be forced to start their days before sunrise.

 
Our Request
We urge the Beaverton School Board to:

Adopt an 8:30 a.m. start time across all elementary, middle, and high schools.

This single change would:

• Improve children’s health, attention, and emotional well-being
  Support working families
  Reduce safety risks from dark, early mornings
  Create a more balanced and equitable schedule across schools for easier child care planning