KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — Knox County Schools is weighing significant changes to student transportation and school schedules as district leaders look for ways to reduce costs and address ongoing transportation challenges.
The district brought in a transportation consulting company earlier this year to review bus operations and explore potential efficiencies. The result is three proposed plans, all of which would reduce the number of bus routes and alter school start times.
Under some proposals, elementary school students could begin classes as early as 7:30 a.m., while some middle and high school students would not start until 9:30 a.m.
Currently, elementary schools in Knox County start at 7:45 a.m., while middle schools and most high schools begin at 8:30 a.m.
District officials say one proposal could save approximately $2.7 million per year while eliminating 77 bus routes.
The proposals have sparked discussion among parents, educators and healthcare professionals, particularly regarding the potential impact on student health and academic performance.
April Burnett, a psychiatric nurse practitioner with Covenant Health, said balancing instructional time with adequate sleep is critical for students.
“We need to have that academic time, but we also need a decent amount of sleep because the lack of that is poor academic performance because we can’t focus,” Burnett said.
Burnett noted that sleep deprivation can impact attention span, learning, memory and executive functioning. She also warned that chronic sleep loss can negatively affect students’ mental health.
“When we are chronically missing sleep, then we start to have symptoms of anxiety, depression,” Burnett said. “We become more irritable. ADHD symptoms get exacerbated.”
While later start times may allow older students to get more sleep, Burnett said there are tradeoffs. Students who finish school later in the day may have less time for extracurricular activities, athletics, family time and social engagement.
“Our physical health is going to be affected by that because we’re not maybe participating in sports or group activities,” Burnett said. “There’s more social isolation, not as good family structure because we’re not spending that time.”
At the same time, Burnett pointed to research suggesting later school start times can improve student performance and overall well-being.
“I’ve read some research that shows that later school times do show some really good improvement in performance,” she said.
Burnett acknowledged that any schedule change will affect families differently, depending on work schedules, childcare needs and after-school activities.
Knox County Schools has not yet selected a final option. The district is continuing to evaluate the proposals and gather feedback as it considers how to balance transportation costs, student needs and operational efficiency.
