By Hawken Miller, Sacramento Bee

Knikki Royster starts her workday as a juvenile court teacher in San Diego at 7:30 a.m., and she’s not sure what to do if her two kids can’t start high school until an hour later.

“I don’t like the idea of my kids having to walk to school. I prefer to drop them off,” Royster said. They would have to walk a mile to school. “I want that supervision in the morning. … When you don’t allow parents to do their job, we start making systems that don’t work for parents and hurt the family.”

Working parents like Royster are wondering about new routines as the idea of later school starting times gains traction in California. Sen. Anthony Portantino’s Senate Bill 328, which would prohibit middle schools and high schools from starting earlier than 8:30am, is cruising through the Legislature and faces final votes when lawmakers return next month. The debate also is playing out in school board meeting rooms around the state. In the area, some schools in Davis and Sacramento have already moved to the later start time.

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