Welcome to Start School Later California!
SB 328 UpdateSenator Anthony Portantino has re-introduced SB 328 to ensure healthy start times of 8:30 a.m. or later for California's middle- and high-school students. Click here to read more! The bill is currently under consideration by the Senate Education Committee, which will "hear" the bill on April 24, 2019. To submit a position letter on this bill, or to reach any of the senators on the committee, click here! 
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About Start School Later CaliforniaThe California chapter of Start School Later is headed by Irena Keller, Ph.D., and Beth McNeill, Ph.D.
The statewide chapter works with chapter leaders in various communities in California to help them promote awareness of the issue and bring about change in their districts. To contact us, please fill out the contact form on this page. You can also stay up to date on our activities by liking our page on Facebook. Chapter background The California chapter was started by Dr. Keller in 2016. Lisa Lewis served as a chapter leader from the spring of 2017, when SB 328 was first introduced, until early 2019. Dr. Keller founded the chapter as a way to help close the gap between science and public school policies and to improve the health and safety of public school students by advocating for more developmentally appropriate school start times. Dr. Keller is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology and a parent. Having done her PhD dissertation on sleep and development, she has a good grasp of the scientific understanding of sleep and its importance for development and learning. As a parent, she has come to the realization that there is a big gap between the scientific knowledge about sleep and the actual public policies and school schedules. |
California now also has six local chapters:
SB328: Hearing before the Senate Education Committee, April 19, 2017 |
"California schools should start their classes later. The health and learning benefits far outweigh the inconvenience of change." - Mercury News Editorial dated August 8, 2017