YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Just two years later, Youngstown City Schools is changing their daily schedule once again. 

A release from the district said that starting in the 2019 school year, students will return to earlier start times. 

The district said East and Chaney high school students would begin classes in the 2019-20 school year at 7:30 am and be dismissed at 2:32 pm.

For the last two years, the high schools started classes at 9:30 am with dismissal at about 4:30 pm. 

While the district initially went to later start times to try to help students get more sleep, they say the change created its own set of issues. 

A portion of a release said that the later times presented a challenge for students involved in sports, extracurricular activities and for those students who work after school. If a sports team had to travel a long distance to play an away game, for example, they had to leave school early, losing instructional time.

"The change ensures that students get to participate in the sports that are so important to them while they benefit from the same amount of instructional time as other students," said Sonya Gordon, YCSD's Chief of Secondary Education. "Additionally, it will allow our students who are in after-school enrichment and intervention to be home earlier in the day, and it works out better for students who work after school."  

Youngstown Rayen Early College High School students' class schedules will follow that of the two traditional high schools; 7:30 am start and 2:32 pm dismissal. YRECHS started at 8 am and dismissed at 2:30 pm for the 2018-19 school year.

The start and dismissal times also will change for YCSD's nine elementary schools and Rayen Early College Middle School.

Elementary school classes will begin at 8 am with dismissal at 3:15 pm REC will follow the elementary schedule.

That's a change from the schedule the elementary schools followed for the last two years when classes started at 8:30 am, and dismissal was at 3:45 pm.