Students in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District won't have to reset their alarm clocks next year.

The District 196 School Board voted 0-6, Director Kevin Sampers absent, against changing school start times at its meeting Monday, Nov. 24.

School board members said there wasn't enough sound research to support the change yet. In addition to moving the start time for the district's five high schools 50 minutes later, the proposal would have required its six middle schools to begin 30 minutes earlier in the 2009-2010 school year.

"I'm not opposed to this change," said Director Art Coulson, "but I really want to see us answer some of these questions better before I'm comfortable voting to move start times later."

Superintendent John Currie said the issue was brought to the board based on annual requests from parents and research on teenage sleep patterns. Three of the district's five high school principals supported the proposal, he said. The other two supported later start times but wanted more time to implement them.

To offer a later high school start, the district would have to shift middle school hours to make busing schedules work. The recommendation would have seen high schools run 8:20 a.m.-3:10 p.m., and middle schools run 7:30 a.m.-2:25 p.m. Slight changes would have been made to elementary schools, four of which currently start at 8:20 a.m. and the other 14 at 9:20 a.m.

Director Jackie Magnuson, who said she was leaning in favor of the proposal at the Monday, Nov. 10, board meeting, said concern that middle school students would have to go to school in the dark changed her mind.

"I like the concept of this. I don't think this egg is ready to hatch yet," she said. "The community involvement and community conversation over this has been very interesting. I think that community dialogue needs to continue."

Parents who spoke against the proposal at the meeting also said moving high school start times later would adversely impact after-school activities and academics.

Tim Dodds, whose son is a sophomore at Apple Valley High School, said students would have to miss more class to travel to athletic matches and be kept up later with practices.

"Please don't put more obstacles in the place of those students who are really doing what we want them to do, what we are asking them to do, what we believe is important for their success," he said.

Chris Gelke, a junior at Eagan High School and representative on the district's Youth Connection Council, said students were opposed to the change as well.

"While the council agrees that sleep is extremely important for teenagers and there is evidence that students are more alert starting school later, members feel that students will simply stay up later with a later start time," he said. "Council members feel that they, as high school students, have a personal responsibility to manage their time wisely."

This article was first published Nov. 25 on our website, www.mnsun.com. Visit the site for your daily local news, including next-day city council and school board coverage.

(You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)

"While the council agrees that sleep is extremely important for teenagers and there is evidence that students are more alert starting school later, members feel that students will simply stay up later with a later start time," he said. "Council members feel that they, as high school students, have a personal responsibility to manage their time wisely."

This article was first published Nov. 25 on our website, www.mnsun.com. Visit the site for your daily local news, including next-day city council and school board coverage.

(You are invited to comment about this story on our website at www.mnsun.com and/or write a letter to the editor at suncurrentsouth@acnpapers.com.)