Last week, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new bill into law that mandates later start times for middle and high schools. In California, by the 2022 school year, middle schools can’t begin school before 8:00 a.m., and high schools can’t start school before 8:30 a.m. There has been a lot of research that supports later start times for students, but not all parties are in favor.
Advocates say…
- This change is a necessary adjustment needed to support school and health reform
- Teens have a biological predisposition that makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11:00 p.m. and for students to function at their best, they require 8-10 hours of sleep a night
- About 75% of teenage students don’t receive the recommended amount of sleep, thus making later school start times necessary
- Teens that wake up later show increased academic performance, attendance, and overall health
- Less sleep is linked to an increase in weight, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, risky behavior, and automobile accidents
Opponents say…
- It will be difficult or impossible for parents and guardians to rearrange their schedules to accommodate the change
- After school activity schedules will be impacted and will need to be altered
- Schools and districts will occur unexpected expenses such as the cost to reconfigure bus routes and the price to pay before and after school employees
- The law in California excludes rural school districts, and there is confusion surrounding what that means
- This is a decision that should be made at the school district level, not the state
Numerous case studies have documented the results of later school start times, some that support the research, and some which show inconclusive results. Being that California is the first state to mandate later school start times, others will be observing closely to determine if such a change can help transform schools to meet the needs of today’s students.
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