By Rich Larson, KYMN News
The Northfield School Board is once again discussing the idea of moving the High School daily start time to after 8:30am.
The topic is not a new idea, and was last discussed by the school board in 2019. At that point, however, based on public comment and opinion, the board decided against making a change. However, there is enough data in support of a time change that the issue has once again been raised.
During their last worksession, the members of the board met with the University of Minnesota’s Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom, who has been studying the effects of time change for some thirty years. According to Northfield Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Matt Hillmann, Wahlstrom said that there are real academic benefits to a later start, simply because of changes in the circadian rhythms of teenagers. But there are more measured benefits as well.
“But I think even more importantly, you see a real improvement in students’ physical health, you see it in their mental health. There are interesting pieces of data – like fewer car accidents among teenagers who go to high schools that have a start time at 8:30 or later. Athletics – they’ve demonstrated that not only do student athletes perform better, but there are also fewer injuries, which is related to better rest. If you think about it, you read about the greatest athletes in the country and the world, they are prioritizing better sleep.”
There are drawbacks as well, Hillmann said, some real and some perceived. In 2019 there was a concern for Elementary athletics. A later start time at the high school would mean a later start time for Varsity Athletics practices, and many of those teams practice at the gyms at Northfield elementary schools. This would mean elementary athletics practices and games would start later, and could result in some elementary students not getting home until 9:30 or 10:00. However, the high school renovation project will add enough new gymnasium space that all high school athletic teams will practice at the high school and not in the elementary schools, eliminating that particular concern. But, he said, there are other issues to work out.
“There was a concern (in 2019) about those teenagers who have jobs after school, and would that have an impact on the local economy? And then also, we just have to be straightforward and admit that there are some logistical challenges. We run a busing system that is as efficient as you can run for a district our size. There are some ways to make it work. There are several other logistical things that must be taken into account.”
Hillmann was very quick to say that this is not a discussion for the 2026-2027 school year. He said any changes would not be implemented until 2027-2028, and most likely they would not go into effect until 2028-2029. The school board will next discuss the idea at their January 29th work session, and will hold a meeting for public comment on March 19th.
