Vancouver students return to school with new schedules across the district

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- While some Clark County schools have been shuttered due to teacher strikes, Vancouver Public Schools students head back to class Wednesday.

Unlike previous years, classes will be starting later in the day and in some cases, students are getting another hour of sleep before heading to class.

This year, elementary schools start at 8 a.m. in the morning which is actually earlier than last year but middle schools don't start until 9:20 a.m. and get out just before 4:00 p.m. But the biggest change is with high schoolers who now start at 8:35 in the morning, more than an hour later than they did last year.

Vancouver Public Schools superintendent Dr. Jeff Snell said the extra sleep should help students. The decision to change start times is part of the district's new strategic plan and Dr. Snell said they heard from more than 6,500 parents who wanted to see changes like this.

"What we really heard loud and clear is we want to be student-centered in all that we do," said Snell. "So when we think about the partnerships with the community, how can we center those on students? When we think about the staff that we bring in, how can we have them reflect the students and also be prepared to support the students."

Dr. Snell said they are still finalizing their strategic plan with this in mind.