Start times in the Long Beach Unified School District will be later this fall for high school students after school officials aligned schedules with a controversial state bill signed into law in 2019.
The Long Beach Unified School District notified families Thursday morning that when the 2022-23 school year begins on Aug. 31, LBUSD high schools will start at 8:45 a.m. and middle schools will start earlier.
Many LBUSD high schools currently begin regular classes before 8 a.m. The change is expected to impact sports schedules, extracurricular activities and extra periods, with details expected to be worked out in coming months.
The purpose Senate Bill 328 was to address “adolescent sleep deprivation and its associated health risks, while creating conditions more conducive to academic success,” according to the LBUSD statement sent to parents Thursday. “The schedule in Long Beach Unified also takes into consideration the need to stagger school bus routes based upon driver availability.”
Elementary and K-8 school schedules aren’t changing, per the language of Senate Bill 328.
The LBUSD statement said more information will be forthcoming for families from their children’s individual schools.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that only high school schedules are required to change to a later schedule.