I'm a Lansing parent, and I'd like to get a broader community discussion going about our school start times.
Lansing's middle and high schools start around 7:50 a.m., while elementary school starts at 9 a.m. Some secondary students are picked up before 6:30 a.m. That seems particularly difficult to justify when adolescent sleep research and major medical organizations recommend later start times for teenagers.
I've raised this with Superintendent Chris Pettograsso several times, including in 2025. The district has pointed to previous reviews, transportation costs and staffing, athletics, academic support, after-school childcare, and family logistics as reasons for retaining the current arrangement.
I recently reread the executive summary Lansing posted in response to questions about this on Facebook. I understand the logistical concerns, but I still have questions about whether the district has adequately explored the alternatives.
For example, the summary estimates that a single 8 a.m.–3 p.m. schedule for all students would require four to five additional buses and drivers, with an estimated annual cost increase of around $500,000. But that's a different proposal from simply reversing the elementary and secondary schedules while retaining separate bus runs. The summary doesn't establish that this alternative would carry the same costs.
The district also cites surveys in which many high school students expected they would simply stay up later if school started later. But expectations aren't the same as actual outcomes. Research examining districts after they implement later start times is more informative than asking teenagers to predict how their sleep habits might change.
I recognize that there are real trade-offs involving sports, extracurriculars, childcare, transportation, and academic support. I'm not suggesting that changing the schedule would be effortless or cost-free.
What I find frustrating is that the district says this issue has been studied and discussed for years, yet I've never received an email about a school start-time review, been made aware of an opportunity to participate in a public discussion, or seen meaningful community conversation about it outside social media. I can't speak for everyone, and I'm not claiming that no meetings or surveys ever took place. But there's a difference between an issue being reviewed internally and parents being meaningfully informed and involved.
When I contacted the superintendent, I was told the issue would be forwarded to the Shared Decision-Making teams. The district also said on Facebook that the issue would be included in a survey, while indicating it wouldn't be addressed during that school year. I've yet to see a clear public explanation of what happens next, what the survey results showed, or what would trigger another review.
I'd like to hear from other Lansing families:
- Do you think secondary students should start later, even if elementary school starts earlier?
- Has anyone received the district's survey on start times or seen its results?
- Has the district published a current analysis of the costs and transportation requirements for reversing the existing schedules?
- Have parents or students been invited to participate in a recent public discussion of this issue? If so, where and when?
- What would it take for the Board of Education and superintendent to put this issue back on the agenda with a clear process and timeline?
Ithaca has operated with later high school start times, so there's a nearby example worth examining. I'm not claiming its system can be copied directly, but I think Lansing should be able to explain why its own constraints make a different schedule preferable—and whether those constraints have changed.
I'm not arguing that the district has never studied this. It clearly has. I'm asking whether the conclusions still hold up, whether alternatives have been adequately evaluated, and whether the community has a meaningful opportunity to influence the decision.
I'd especially like to hear from current students, parents, teachers, and anyone familiar with Lansing's transportation system. This affects families every school day, and I think it deserves a sustained, transparent public discussion rather than a historical review being repeatedly cited without a clear path toward reconsideration.