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Panel Studies Shortening The School Day At Barrington High School

(CBS) – A debate rages in a northwest suburban school district, but it's not about the budget or teacher contracts.

It's about the start time at Barrington High School.

Some say it should be later so that kids perform better.

Seven hours and fifteen minutes -- that's how long the Barrington High day is now. But a task force now recommends shortening that day by about an hour, in the name of more sleep.

"As committee we have felt the driving force for why we're doing what we're doing is ultimately for the physiological, psychological and overall health of our children," later start time proponent  Jennifer Smith tells CBS 2's Dana Kozlov.

Smith is a member of Input 220, which began studying the issue last April after the district gave the green light.

The task force recommends the school day start no later than 9 a.m. and end as late as 3:48 pm.

Some parents think the later start is a bad idea.

"That would result in a cutting curriculum time and also a cutting down of class choices," Christine Bedard says.

Transportation and extracurricular activity time are other concerns. Smith says the focus should be on quality of instruction time -- not quantity.

Students have mixed opinions.

The Task Force has come up with three different start-and-end time recommendations. It will present them to the School Board next week.

Opponents are ready to fight it.

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