Telling a teen that lack of sleep has been associated with increased risk of sports injuries won’t be as effective as telling them that improved sleep has been shown to increase athletic performance and recovery. ​

You can’t pour from an empty pitcher. It’s the same for parents, so take care of yourself as well.

Research and data and medical position statements don’t influence local school districts as much as parents do. 

Despite clear calls for change since the 1990s, many school districts may need statewide legislation to spur or support later start times. ​

Emphasizing that it's much easier for local leaders to do the right thing (and deflecting community ire away from local school leaders) can be key. So can emphasizing that statewide parameters ensure that child's ability to go to school at sleep-friendly hours won't vary by zip code

Photo: Can Stock Photo

Imagine the attention each student could get, the individual feedback on problems/labs, the chance to safely ask questions, the  higher order discussions you could have, and the amazing learning that could happen.

The community feeding program and the regular driving and feeding assignments could be a team effort, rotated among the staff team. Grub hub for kids! 

Students can get adequate sleep a few more days a week. Secondary students will only be committed to a certain school time schedule of 18 hours per week for the two days they are at school versus the 40 hours per week they have to commit to now, which includes bus rides, lunch shifts, pass time, etc.

Overall health, well-being and mental health for everyone will be prioritized with a more relaxed schedule. 

California’s Governor Newsom has provided a wise and courageous solution to this decades-long impasse by setting minimum standards for how early schools can start classes, finally stopping the process of passing the buck for a practice causing serious and unnecessary harm.

Speculations about what “might” happen if bell times change also overlook the very real costs of not changing.

We forget that school start times were set, and continue to be set, for all kinds of reasons, but convenience of families and even school employees was never one of them.

Debbie Owensby Moore, leader of Start School Later Texas and Start School Later's former national chapter director.

There is a saying that if you want to ensure something gets done, just ask a busy mom to do it.

...as our knowledge into the research grows, we become experts on adolescent sleep in our own right, regardless of our background. That knowledge propels one to grow personally as a public speaker whether addressing a school board, speaking to the media, or providing legislative testimony.

Four Start School Later chapter leaders meet at the Start School Later National Conference in Washington, DC.

One learns how to navigate the tough questions while receiving guidance and resources as a chapter leader. Start School Later provides a foundation to healthy hours advocacy so advocates can avoid re-creating the wheel in each and every district. 

We minimized the number of years that any student would be exposed to start times before 8 a.m.

​We don’t want the perfect to be the enemy of the good. None of our children should be at the bus stop before dawn.

Middle school and high school are already some of the most grueling years in most kids’ lives. And everything is harder, darker, sadder, and heavier when you’re tired.