To the editor: I have been following this community’s long-term analysis of shifting school start times since January 2012 when I attended a presentation at BHS sponsored by the school committee to explore the idea. At this event, Richard Millman, MD, co-director of the pediatric sleep program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, lectured about the science of sleep and the effects of insufficient sleep on teens. It was my first exposure to the concept, and I found it very compelling.

And when it comes to busing kids to school, I am a big proponent. I despise the daily drop-off and pick-up congestion in front of any of our schools on any given day. No one should be on a bus for an hour in a town of our size.

So I was pleased when the town finally voted to implement a new school start time plan which not only gives teens a later start time, it also reduces unnecessarily long bus rides for some students. It's win win.

But by the coverage in last week’s Barrington Times devoted to the opposition, you’d think the sky was falling.  This decision was a sound one backed by the health and wellness committee after years of analysis, voted on by the school committee, and supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control. It’s time to focus on implementation, and to look forward to change for the better.

Jennifer Boylan

Barrington