Welcome to Start School Later Redlands, CA!

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A Message from Chapter Leader Lisa Lewis

Thanks for your interest in starting high school later in Redlands! I’m a Redlands-based writer with a high-schooler in RUSD.

In writing about a variety of education topics, I’ve come across some pretty compelling information about the need to start schools later in the morning!
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Some key points:

• Because of their shifting body clocks, teens aren’t often able to fall asleep before 11 p.m. Too-early school start times mean they’re often sleep deprived as a result.
• Sleep-deprived teens are at risk for a number of health-related issues, including substance abuse, depression and suicide ideation.
• They’re also more likely to be absent or tardy and to perform more poorly in school.
• Teens and young adults are involved in more than half of all drowsy driving crashes each year.
• Teen athletes who get less than 8 hours sleep a night are far more likely to get injured.
• In light of all of the data, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and Centers for Disease Control recommend that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later.

While there are issues that need to be addressed such as buses and after-school sports practices, these have been successfully navigated by many school districts around the country in recent years! If it can be done in other districts (Seattle is the latest and largest one to make the shift), it can be done here.

Raising awareness is the first step. If you’re interested in getting more information or would like to help, please contact me via the contact form on this page. And be sure to "like" our Facebook page, where you can find updates on initiatives, news about sleep and school start times, and more. ​