PORTLAND (AP) — Some school boards in Maine plan to vote on proposals that could push back school start times for the 2016-2017 year.
The Portland Press Herald reports school boards in Saco, Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough, South Portland and Yarmouth are all considering later start times for 2016- 17 or the future. Similar proposals are on the radar at Thornton Academy in Saco and in a regional district that serves the Cumberland area.
The most recent report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Maine’s average high school start time is 7:53 a.m., 10 minutes earlier than the national average. The agency recommends middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
At least 200 schools around the country have pushed back start times in recent years.
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