District 51 may join the ranks of other Colorado schools with a later start time.

It's becoming a trend. Several Colorado school districts have already made the switch to the later start time. Those schools include the Littleton Public School District, Greeley-Evans in northern Colorado, and the Cherry Creek School District with others planning or considering making the change as well.

The lack of sleep is considered a major contributor to teen weight gain, alcohol & tobacco use, depression, and poor academic performance. That's according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of the main reasons they say young people aren't getting enough sleep is that they get up too early for school.

Another issue with pushing back start times are the bus routes. Now, middle schools and high schools start around 7:30 and elementary schools start at 8:50. District 51  staggers the start times so buses can run two routes. They drop off the older kids and then head back out to pick up the elementary students. “If we all started school at exactly the same time, we would need quite a few more buses in order to make that work,” says Emily Shockley from District 51.

Pushing back start times is something the school district has been considering for nearly three years now. It's back on the table again. Students seem to like the idea. Is it time for District 51 to make the switch?

Credit: KKCO11News

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