When putting forth recommendations for the Board of Education, the AACPS School Start Times Task Force was guided by the following fundamental beliefs:

1. Adolescents will be better students if they are healthier; part of being healthier is getting an appropriate amount of sleep.
2. Starting high schools later than 7:17 AM will allow adolescents to get more sleep each night.
3. Children need both curricular and co-curricular activities in their lives.
4. Students should not be walking to or from school/bus stops in the dark during the morning or afternoon.
5. Providing school start times that align with a family's schedule, when possible, minimizes the time students are unsupervised, before and after school, and maximizes time for family engagement.