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More schools pushing back start times

PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — District leaders came up with a plan to add seven extra buses, so that students could sleep in an extra half hour while the start of the day will only change by 15 minutes.

“Good change, definitely a positive change,” said senior Adam Cacchione.

He told Channel 11 he's disappointed he won't get to experience it.

“I’m sad I'm missing out on that,” he said. “Honestly, my grades would probably be better.”

The school board approved a new start time for high school students to give teenagers more sleep.

For example, if the bus now picks them up at 6:30 a.m., next year buses will pick up them at 7 a.m. Classes now start at 7:30 a.m., but will start at 7:45 a.m. next year.

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“We are able to move the school day back by 15 minutes and add additional buses so we can save our kids 30 minutes,” said district spokeswoman Shelley Belcher.

Several school districts across western Pennsylvania have made changes recently, including  Washington School District, which Channel 11 first told you Tuesday.

Peters administrators say they have received great parental support.

“That just buys us a lot of time in the morning,” Belcher said. “Gives those kids valuable extra sleep time and then, in the afternoon, we're still only impacted by 15 minutes.”