The debate over when to start the day for middle school students returned to the Watertown School Committee this week, focusing on what time the school day should begin for the 2026-27 school year. The discussion has been complicated by impact on after-school sports and the shortage of fields in town.
The issue of later start times for middle schoolers was discussed in 2017, with the recommendation to move the start time for middle schoolers to from 7:40 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. based on research about teens sleep habits and circadian rhythms, showing that students in middle school do better with later start. In 2018, the start of the school day at Watertown Middle School moved to 8:30 a.m.
In the fall of 2023, the start time moved back to 7:45 a.m. when the high school moved to the temporary campus on Moxley Field so that the two schools did not have drop-offs and pick-ups at the same time. With the new WHS opening in the fall of 2026, there had been discussions about when to start the Middle School in 2026-27.
A complication came from the reconstruction of the Victory Field track oval, which limits the access to fields for middle schools sports teams. The School Committee’s Athletic and Extracurriculars Subcommittee heard a presentation about how the Middle School and High School sports teams would be impacted.
Athletic Director Ryan Murphy presented a schedule of teams field use. He added at the meeting that he did not see the option of Middle School students going to Arsenal Park every day would be a viable option, and said they must use the artificial turf at Victory Field. Middle School boys and girls soccer and the High School football and field hockey teams use Victory Field. With the earlier start, school ends at the Middle School at 2:15 p.m. and all four teams could practice and with the high school teams would switch off ending at 8 p.m. Moving the start time to 8:30 a.m. at WMS would end school at 3 p.m. and the high school teams would alternate ending at 9:15 p.m.
Superintendent Dede Galdston noted that the project at Victory Field was approved in 2019, but did not begin construction until 2025.
“So we’re trying to balance the alignment of adolescent sleep research and student wellness, and then the operational realities created by the reconstruction of Victory oval field,” Galdston said.
During public forum at the meeting, several parents and teachers spoke. Parent Ben Johnson said, for him, the important issue is having school at the time when students learn best, adding that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high school start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
“I understand that one rationale for keeping the earlier start time relates to after-school, athletics and field logistics. I want to acknowledge that these programs matter deeply to many families,” Johnson said. “While after school sports serve a subset of students, start time affects every middle schooler every single day. Sleep, attention, emotional regulation and readiness to learn are universal needs, not optional ones.”
Parent Owen Murphy said he has read “the vast body of research” which shows the academic and social emotional benefits to a later start time for adolescents. He added that his daughter played middle school sports, and most of the schools against which they compete start at 8:30 a.m.
“I can remember a bunch of times when we were waiting for the other team to show up, and even times when arc has got dismissed,” Murphy said. “They took the bus to another town and were actually waiting at the school for the other school to get dismissed.”
Middle School teacher Brian Donato said that 93 percent of the teachers surveyed preferred to stay at the earlier start time. He added that school attendance, another benefit found in the research about later start times, did not change.
“In the two full school years that we did have an 8:30 start time attendance data shows that students on time arrival to school did not significantly improve,” Donato said. “The 2023 move to an earlier start time has seen a return to a nearly pre-Pandemic attendance rates. Back in 2018 it was 95.5%, and in this past year, ’24-25, it was 94.6%.”
The School Committee was conflicted about keeping the earlier start time in 2026-27. School Committee member Jessica Middlebrook was concerned that some Middle School sports might be threatened.
“I was really excited about moving back to an 8:30 start next year, until this issue came up. Dragging a middle schooler out of bed, and it’s not easy to get her to school sometimes, but I also know that sports are a lifeline for so many of our kids here, and particularly in middle school,” Middlebrook said. “That’s where they start to learn a lot of really important lessons around teamwork and perseverance and I would hate for us to have a 3:30 end next year and have nothing for our middle school soccer players to do.”
The Athletic Director said there was talk of having the soccer teams practicing at Arsenal Park to allow the high school teams to use Victory Field. He said there is an issue of getting middle schoolers across town to Arsenal Park, while the field has had drainage issues.
“Honestly, that’s something as an athletic director, you never want that to happen, right? But I can’t predict the weather,” Rya Murphy said. “They’ve had trouble with Arsenal’s drainage, and they’re talking about possibly working on it and ripping it up, possibly this spring. If it had a drainage issue once, could there be a drainage issue twice? Close it? Could be, I don’t know. So I can’t say for sure.”
School Committee member Sheila Krishnan said the incoming sixth-graders have gone through a lot. They started kindergarten during COVID, and could be going to Middle School during the construction period which could begin as early as the spring of 2027.
“So I would, I think at this I’m definitely in favor, after this upcoming year of an 8:30 start time,
and I’m not convinced that we can’t make it work for this upcoming year as well,” Krishnan said.
Rachel Kay also mentioned that the current fifth-graders had to start school during the Pandemic.
“I was very conflicted because, someone mentioned COVID, these kids have suffered — these particular kids that are in middle school now,” Kay said. “So I lean toward going back to 8:30 next year. I really do appreciate the complexity, and I appreciate what people have shared.”
School Committee member Lisa Cappocia said she supports the later start time, but in 2026-27 there are different factors.
“For this year, the factors that I’m looking at are the duration — it’s one year — the number of students and staff and staff: is not just middle school staff, it’s the coaching staff, And the coaching staff are educators,” Capoccia said. “So when we’re talking about people, athletes, staying until 9:30 or 10 (p.m.) at the high school level. We’re also talking about their coaches, and those are our employees and I, as a public school middle school educator, I really viscerally feel how employee well being really translates into student wellness.”
School Committee Chair Kendra Foley thanked everyone who gave input on the issue, and said it was a tough decision.
“I don’t want to push our high school programs later, but that means we’re really squeezing out our middle school programs, which I don’t want to do either,” Foley said. “So we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, I think. But I really appreciate what Lisa said that this isn’t about athletics versus middle school. This is about how do we balance the things that are important to all of our kids, and they include a good night’s sleep, they include academics.”
The School Committee voted 4-2 to approve the 7:45 a.m. start time at the Middle School for the 2026-27 School Year, with Kay and Krishnan voting “no.”