Don’t like early start times for Nevada high schools? Take this survey

A new survey created by the Nevada State Board of Education offers the community a chance to provide input on the decision to delay high school start times across the state.

In its Wednesday announcement, the board said the survey could influence the development of a bill draft request for the 2025 legislative session. The idea is a potential solution to issues plaguing the state: chronic absenteeism, behavioral issues and low academic achievement. In January, the Board of Education requested that the Nevada Department of Education gather community feedback on the proposed change.

“The State Board of Education has deliberated this topic at length, and we’ve had feedback from district and school administrators,” Felicia Ortiz, president of the Nevada State Board of Education, said in the announcement. “We want to hear from all stakeholders and we’re hoping families, teachers and most importantly, students, will share their thoughts through this survey. We look forward to hearing from all of you!”

Many schools now start as early as 7 a.m.

In the past, the Clark County School District criticized the state’s move as one of overreach. People expressed concerns about later end times meaning the interruption of after-school sports as well as more dangerous walks home in the dark.

The survey asks people to rate the potential benefits of later high school start times on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 indicating “extremely beneficial.” Options include additional sleep, improved mental and physical health, academic performance, school attendance, alertness and athletic performance.

It then asks survey-takers to rate the severity of potential challenges that could come from the change, including conflicts with parents work schedules, child care expenses, less time after school, costs for the school district and disruption of afternoon class time because of high school athletics.

It also asks participants to pick a statement that describes their view on high school start times, ranging from “I support implementation and do not see the need for further study” to “I do not support the implementation of later school start times and I would like to see different school start times considered.”

It ends with open-ended questions with text boxes for people to share perspectives on their support and the most critical things for the state to consider in its decision.

The survey will be available on the Department of Education’s website until Oct. 4.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.