Belaire High may soon become the third Baton Rouge public high school to shift its start times to better align with when children learn, based on research on their sleep patterns.
Some faculty and parents, however, are raising concerns that the new start times so far are falling short of promises and are having unintended downsides.
Belaire, home to almost 600 students, would follow in the footsteps of Capital High and Glen Oaks High. Those schools, along with four feeder schools, dramatically altered their daily schedules in August, with middle and high school students beginning classes much later than they have in the past.
Results from the first semester of this six-school pilot program were mixed, according to a recent report from a consultant hired by the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. But that has not dimmed the enthusiasm of Superintendent LaMont Cole, who plans to change start times across the entire district by fall 2028. The next step is to add Belaire and its five feeder schools…