Dr. Ken Wagner said the Rhode Island Department of Education regularly shares information with the local school districts promoting the benefits of later school start times for older students.

But, added the education commissioner, people should not expect his department to draft a new policy calling for a statewide change to school start times. 

In fact, Dr. Wagner said the Rhode Island Department of Education will likely avoid crafting an official policy on the issue. Instead, the state is allowing individual school districts the opportunity to build their own plans regarding start times and more.

During an interview on Thursday, May 25, Dr. Wagner shared a number of the new initiatives and programs being implemented in public schools around the state. He spoke about partnerships public schools have created with private companies, such as CVS and Electric Boat, and he commented about leadership programs the state department of education has planned for school officials.

When questioned about whether the Rhode Island Department of Education would push for later school start times statewide, Dr. Wagner said that move was not likely.

He said the state allows the local school districts to control those types of changes.

In Barrington, officials have spent a lot of time studying and discussing a change to school start times. More than a year ago, members of the Barrington School Committee voted to change the start times at the high school and middle school from around 7:45 a.m. to 8:30. 

But before that change was implemented, it was delayed. Officials voted to take an additional year to study the issue and make sure the shift would not have a negative impact in other areas, such as after-school sports or other activities.

Then, earlier this year, officials decided to shelve the start time changes indefinitely. They said funding constraints, coupled with the transportation issues, had forced the decision. The superintendent said he would not want to make the start time change and then not have the funding necessary to keep it in place.

School administrators said they plan on further studying the start time changes and working the shift into the district's strategic plan. For now, however, Barrington Middle School and Barrington High School will continue to start the day at about 7:45 a.m.