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Parents and students mostly voice support for starting school later in the morning — but some say they have reservations during Salt Lake City district’s ‘listening tour’

Nearly every parent who spoke Monday night offered a different reason for why they want their kids to start school at a later time.

One mom joked that “it’s sure hell” trying to get her sleepy twin boys — freshmen at West High School in downtown Salt Lake City — out of bed at 6 a.m. each day. A dad pointed to his 15-year-old daughter in the audience, saying he thinks she’d do better in geography if she wasn’t trying to understand the complexity of borders so early in the morning. And another mom said her teenager has anxiety and believes getting more rest would “make a big difference” for her mental health.