PRESS RELEASE
For more information, please contact:
Heather Macintosh, 410-27904569, heathermac@verizon.net
Michael Rubinstein, 202-257-9182, michaelrubinstein6@gmail.com
Maryland Passes Landmark Bill to Recommend Appropriate School Start Times
Annapolis-- The Maryland legislature has passed the first piece of legislation in the nation to provide guidance to local school districts on appropriate school start times.
The bill, H.B. 883, "Study of Safe and Healthy School Hours for Maryland Public Schools," requires Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct a study of morning bell times. The study will review the science on the sleep needs of children and adolescents, including the effects of sleep deprivation on academic performance and benefits of sufficient sleep. It will also examine how other school systems have implemented alternative starting times and consider how school activities were affected. Finally, it will make recommendations regarding whether public schools should implement a beginning time of no earlier than 8:00 a.m. The study will draw on input from a variety of community stakeholders and is mandated for completion by end of 2014.
H.B. 833 was originally introduced by Delegate Aruna Miller (D-15) and supported by Start School Later, an Annapolis-based, nationwide grassroots advocacy organization working for later bell times. A companion bill was introduced into the Senate by Edward Reilly (R-33). The bills were passed by both houses unanimously.
"Currently, school districts in the state — and across the country — let bus costs or adult convenience determine school hours. Local school districts need support and guidance from health and educational leaders to make health and safety top priorities when they set schedules,” said Dr. Terra Ziporyn Snider, Executive Director of Start School Later. “This bill will send a strong signal that local school districts need to wake up to this issue.”
Most public high schools in Maryland begin before 7:30 a.m., with buses coming as early as 5:45 a.m. Montgomery, Howard, and Anne Arundel Counties are actively considering pushing back the morning bell for high schools, although similar efforts over the past two decades have failed.
However, as policymakers continue to grapple with this issue, a growing body of research has linked early middle and high school start times to widespread sleep deprivation in teens and, as a result, to a wide variety of health problems, from obesity to depression.
"Chronic sleep loss in adolescents and its consequences is one of the most important public health issues that faces our nation's youth," said Dr. Judith Owens, director of Sleep Medicine at Children's National Medical Center, in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee in support of the legislation.
"Multiple studies have now shown that delaying school start times in both middle school and high school by as little as 30 minutes results in significant increase in sleep amounts," Owens noted.
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Start School Later is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to ensure that all public schools can set start times compatible with health, safety, education, and equity. Please visit our website at: http://www.startschoollater.net.
For more information, please contact:
Heather Macintosh, 410-27904569, heathermac@verizon.net
Michael Rubinstein, 202-257-9182, michaelrubinstein6@gmail.com
Maryland Passes Landmark Bill to Recommend Appropriate School Start Times
Annapolis-- The Maryland legislature has passed the first piece of legislation in the nation to provide guidance to local school districts on appropriate school start times.
The bill, H.B. 883, "Study of Safe and Healthy School Hours for Maryland Public Schools," requires Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct a study of morning bell times. The study will review the science on the sleep needs of children and adolescents, including the effects of sleep deprivation on academic performance and benefits of sufficient sleep. It will also examine how other school systems have implemented alternative starting times and consider how school activities were affected. Finally, it will make recommendations regarding whether public schools should implement a beginning time of no earlier than 8:00 a.m. The study will draw on input from a variety of community stakeholders and is mandated for completion by end of 2014.
H.B. 833 was originally introduced by Delegate Aruna Miller (D-15) and supported by Start School Later, an Annapolis-based, nationwide grassroots advocacy organization working for later bell times. A companion bill was introduced into the Senate by Edward Reilly (R-33). The bills were passed by both houses unanimously.
"Currently, school districts in the state — and across the country — let bus costs or adult convenience determine school hours. Local school districts need support and guidance from health and educational leaders to make health and safety top priorities when they set schedules,” said Dr. Terra Ziporyn Snider, Executive Director of Start School Later. “This bill will send a strong signal that local school districts need to wake up to this issue.”
Most public high schools in Maryland begin before 7:30 a.m., with buses coming as early as 5:45 a.m. Montgomery, Howard, and Anne Arundel Counties are actively considering pushing back the morning bell for high schools, although similar efforts over the past two decades have failed.
However, as policymakers continue to grapple with this issue, a growing body of research has linked early middle and high school start times to widespread sleep deprivation in teens and, as a result, to a wide variety of health problems, from obesity to depression.
"Chronic sleep loss in adolescents and its consequences is one of the most important public health issues that faces our nation's youth," said Dr. Judith Owens, director of Sleep Medicine at Children's National Medical Center, in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee in support of the legislation.
"Multiple studies have now shown that delaying school start times in both middle school and high school by as little as 30 minutes results in significant increase in sleep amounts," Owens noted.
# # #
Start School Later is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to ensure that all public schools can set start times compatible with health, safety, education, and equity. Please visit our website at: http://www.startschoollater.net.
