BATON ROUGE — Superintendent LaMont Cole was live on 2une In Friday morning speaking about proposed new start times for some schools in the capital city.  

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board is considering a proposal to alter school start times for the upcoming academic year, a change administrators say could offer several benefits for students.

Under phase one of the plan, elementary schools including Capitol, Glen Oaks Park, Melrose, and Merrydale would begin classes at 8 a.m. and dismiss at 3:15 p.m. This is a slight adjustment from the current 8:25 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. schedule.

For secondary schools like Glen Oaks and Capitol High, the proposed start time would shift to 8:50 a.m., with the school day concluding at 4:05 p.m..

East Baton Rouge Schools Superintendent LaMont Cole stated the new times aim to improve student well-being and academic performance.

"We're going to do what's right for kids, for their safety, their biological clocks and then academic outcomes," Cole said.

Supporters say potential benefits include fewer students waiting for buses in the dark, improved sleep for teenagers and reduced absences.

Baton Rouge Magnet High student Forest Raetzsch voiced support for the changes during Thursday night's meeting. 

"I'm speaking on behalf of my younger siblings who are in middle and elementary school. A lot of them will tell you now that it is exhausting," Raetzsch said.

If approved, more schools would adjust their start times in January, with a district-wide implementation planned for August 2026.

The proposal was approved by the committee of the whole. Next, it will need to be voted on by the parish school board itself.