​Welcome to Start School Later Maryland!

Our Goal: Safe and healthy school start times for all public school students in Maryland

---

Maryland is home to the headquarters of Start School Later, Inc. The state has five chapters that are working in their local communities and together.

• Anne Arundel County - implemented new hours in 2022-2023
• Baltimore City 
• Baltimore County
• Howard County - considering new hours for 2023-2024
• Montgomery County

To start a local chapter or learn more about our statewide efforts, please use the contact form.

The 2014 and 2018 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, administered by the Maryland Department of Health on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control asked a question of Middle and High School students about number of hours slept during weeknights.  Data is broken down for each county and Baltimore City, by age, grade, gender, and race.  

How do you know if your student is sleep deprived?  Pediatric sleep specialists can help.  Some sleep doctors may use screening questionnaires to assist them in understanding your teen's sleep-wake cycles.   
​

---

Victories!

• Anne Arundel County Public Schools implements healthier, safer, and more age-appropriate school hours for the 2022-2023 school year on August 29, 2022.  
• In the 2021 legislative session, House Bill 72 was passed which allowed school systems to use alternative vehicles to transport students. .  The State Board adopted regulations on January 25, 2022.
• In March 2020, as a result of Covid-19 restrictions, school buildings are closed and classes moved online, often asynchronous learning.  In September 2020 virtual schooling continued in Maryland.  Over half the school systems alter their virtual schooling hours to healthier and  more age-appropriate hours for all ages for the 2020-2021 school year.  
• Every six years, the Office of Legislative Audits evaluates various aspects of school system operations.  In 17 of 24 jurisdictions, they recommended better use of automatic routing software to improve transportation efficiencies.  
• ​IThe Maryland Department of Juvenile Services recommends later start/end times in 2018, as a way to counter the spike in teen crime between 3 and 7 p.m.
• The Maryland State Department of Education's 2017 Innovative School Schedule Workgroup includes healthy and safe school hours in their final recommendations. ​
• On April 26, 2016, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed into law House Bill 39 The Orange Ribbon Bill for Healthy School Hours. The legislation encourages the state's school districts to pay attention to the science about the health and safety consequences of early school start times — and then work toward starting school later! Read our press release with statements from all four Maryland SSL Chapters.​
• The joint study by the Maryland State departments of Health and Mental Hygiene as well as Education was published on December 22, 2014.  It recommended that schools conduct feasibility studies to start school after 8 a.m. The report also noted:  "The consequences of changing school start times are unavoidable, but they can be ameliorated with proper planning and preparation. Any consideration of a statewide mandate for a later school start time must consider the unique needs of each of the 24 local jurisdictions. However, in preserving the status quo where by school start times are a matter for each local jurisdiction, the state risks letting local resistance trump a strong body of scientific evidence that sleep is critical to health and academic achievement."
• On May 15, 2014, Governor Martin O'Malley signed into law House Bill 883 Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – Study of Safe and Healthy School Hours for Maryland Public School.  This legislation was the first of its kind in the United States! Read our press release.
• September 12, 1998, Med-Chi, the Maryland State Medical Society adopted a resolution that they would work towards "changes in high school schedules to allow later start and end times for the school day."
• October 16, 1975:  The 1975 Report of the Task Force to Review the Public School Pupil transportation Program was submitted to MSDE.  The Task Force  evaluated several aspects of transportation that are still relevant today.  The Task Force recommended using computer software to develop bus routes, evaluated safe distance for walking to school, staggering bus/school tiers, and discussed the safety issue of students waiting in the dark for buses.  

---

What is the difference between early and late starting schools for absenteeism, graduation rates, and standardized test scores? Click either image to download the PDF. 

---

Start School Later Maryland in Action

Connect with us!

Like and follow Start School Later Maryland on Facebook
to read the latest school-times news about our state. 

---

What time do Maryland's public High Schools and Middle Schools start? The average 2022-2023 high school start time is 7:56 a.m.  The average 2022-2023 middle school start time is 8:15 a.m. Both of which are 2 and 4 minutes later  respectively, than in the 2017-2018 school year.  

Under permanent Daylight Saving Time, which school systems would have schools starting before sunrise? Nearly all of them.

The average start time for Maryland's private Middle/High/Upper Schools is 8:06 a.m.  The average start time for Maryland's Middle and High School Charter schools is 8:21 a.m. Go to this page to learn more.  
​

How do Maryland Schools Compare to 2016's Orange Ribbon for Healthy School Hours?  See below.  

---

Maryland School Start Times News
​(in non-chapter counties or with SSL MD)

​​

• April 13, 2022: Start School Later Maryland discusses school start times and permanent Daylight Savings Time on WYPR's Midday with Tom Hall.
• ​March 25, 2022:  A blog Meanwhile, In Annapolis discusses Maryland Senators Cardin and Van Hollen's reaction to the U.S. Senate passing permanent Daylight Saving Time legislation.
• March 24, 2022:  SSL MD submits written testimony in opposition to HB126 for its hearing in Maryland Senate's Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee.  
• March 10, 2022:  SSL MD submits written testimony and testifies in person  in opposition to SB 534 (permanent Daylight Saving Time).  Maryland Association of Boards of Education opposes legislation because of impacts on school start times.  
• January 25, 2022: Maryland State Board of Education adopts regulations for alternative school vehicles to transport a limited number of students. SSL MD had submitted comments on the draft regulations. 
• January 16, 2022:  An op-ed on Maryland Matters discusses HB 126- permanent Daylight Saving Time and school start times.  SSL MD submitted written testimony  and testified via Zoom for the January 18th hearing.  
• November 16, 2021: An op-ed in the Baltimore Sun discusses proposed regulations to allow students to be transported in vehicles other than school buses and taxicabs.  The draft regulations were published November 19th. 
• September 23, 2021:  SSL MD submitted a letter to all gubernatorial candidates asking to meet to discuss transportation and start times.
• August 24, 2021:  MSDE publishes draft regulations for State Board of Education review.  Regulations will be published for public comment at a later date. 
• August 23, 2021: MSDE responds to SSL MD"s letter to Superintendent Choudhury and suggests working with local school systems to change school start times.  [Gee, why didn't we think of that?]
• July 10, 2021: SSL MD submitted a letter to the new State Superintendent of Schools Mohammad Choudhury outlining background of the school start time issue in the state and asking for a meeting with him.   
• March 10 and 11, 2021:  SSL MD provides written and oral testimony in opposition to HB1013 and SB840, respectively, which would move Maryland to permanent Daylight Saving Time, unless bill was amended to include provision for safe and healthy school hours.  CBS Baltimore covered the Senate hearing and includes a short clip of SSL testimony.  Anne Arundel County Public Schools submitted written testimony in opposition to the bills.  
• January 14 and 27, 2021: SSL MD provides written and oral testimony in support of HB87 and SB253, which would limit limit bus occupancy.  HB87 passes the House, but SB253 is given an unfavorable report by the Senate Committee.  The Capital Gazette covered the House bill .
• September 2020: Virtual learning begins in Maryland school systems. l   
• March 5, 2020:  SSL MD provides written and verbal  testimony in opposition to SB 517/HB 1610, which would move Maryland to permanent Daylight Savings Time. WTOP reported on the hearing.    
• ​February 28, 2020:  SSL MD provided written testimony in support of HB 1226, which would limit bus occupancy to seating occupancy (no standing/sitting in aisles).
• January 16, 22, 29, and February 5, 2020:  SSL MD testifies before the Maryland Juvenile Justice Reform Council on the role of school hours on sleep and risky behaviors.  
• November 5, 2019:  The Baltimore Sun publishes an Opinion piece by Dr. Amy Wolfson of Loyola University.
• October 2, 2019:  Cecil County Public School implements "Where's the Bus" app, along with new bus routing system purchase approved in May 2019. 
  
• March 13, 2019: Frederick County Public Schools provides updated analysis of High School at 8am, Middle School at 8:30 am, Elementary School at 9:15 am.​

• ​October 9, 2018:  A high school student fatality as a Harford County student ran to catch his school bus at 6:42 a.m. as civil dawn was just beginning.
• September 28, 2018: The Washington Post publishes a column by SSL MD in their "Closer to Home" section.
• September 25, 2018:  Lignaore Lance (Liganore High School's school newspaper) publishes an opinion piece on school start times.  
• August 28, 2018:  Frederick News Post reports that the Frederick County Board of Education's request a new analysis of potential school hours.
• August 22, 2018: Frederick County BOE directs staff  to conduct an evaluation of the proposed start times of high school at 8:00 AM, middle school at 8:30 AM, and elementary school at 9:15 AM.
• August 8, 2018: Frederick County's Board of Education holds a workgroup to discuss its CAC report.  (Agenda Item 1.22 -must use drop down menu to access withihin BoardDocs to see agenda, meeting minutes, and video)
• July 11, 2018:​ SSL MD testfied before the Frederick County Board of Education (Agenda Item 6.04-must use drop down menu to access withihin BoardDocs to see agenda, meeting minutes, and video)
• June 21, 2018:  SSL MD and SSL Baltimore County met with Secretary Abed of the Department of Juvenile Services about his January 2018 testimony before the General Assembly about school start/release times.  
• April 7, 2018:  A guest blog is published via Salisbury weatherman Dan Satterfield's page hosted on the American Geophiscal Union (AGU),  "Beyond Daylight Savings Time."
• February 14 and 28, 2018: The Frederick County Citizens Advisory Council recommended altering school bell schedules.  The report is here.  At the following meeting, the Board of Education approved a motion asking their Transportation Department to provide options meeting their parameters "7:30 am. is the earliest start time parameter, high school students go to school last and they go to school between 9:00-9:15 am. "
• January 17, 2018: The Maryland Department of Juvenile Services recommends later start/end times to the House Judiciary Commitee as a way to counter the spike in teen crime between 3 and 7 p.m.
• November 30, 2017:  Frederick County Public Schools is considering a pilot program for the Walkerville feeder systems with later start times.  
• November 2017: The Enterprise in St Mary's County discusses school start times, followed by an article about evening high school expansion on November 10th (For non-subscribers, read the article here.) In response, a letter to the editor by SSL MD is published on November 29th. (For non-subscribes read the letter here)
• October 2017:  SSL MD testifies before the Maryland Board of Education (October 24th) and Kirwan Commission (October 25th, speaker #10).  
• ​August 2, 2017: SSL's letter to the editor of the Star Democrat was published in response to a July 26, 20017 article in the Star Democrat .  The letter and article focus on the National PTA resolution on school start.  For non-subscribers, read the article here.
• July 26, 2017: SSL MD testifies before the Maryland Commission for Innovation and Excellence, aka the Kirwan Commission.​ 
• Spring 2017:  Frederick County's Linking Youth to New eXperiences (LYNX) program at Frederick High School, which will allow for flexible schedules is funded by the Maryland General Assembly. See a list of related news articles here. 
• April 27-28, 2017:  SSL MD attended the Adolescent Sleep, Health, and Start Time Conference in Washington, DC.
• April 25, 2017:  SSL MD testified before the Maryland Board of Education.
• April 12, 2017: SSL MD attended the presentation of the interim report on start times by the Frederick County Citizens Advisory Council to the Frederick Board of Education.
• March 7, 2017:  The Dorchester Star writes about the upcoming Adolescent Sleep, Health, and Start Time Conference conference and interviews representatives from Caroline and Talbot Counties.  
• March 5, 2017:  SSL MD wrote to all Board of Education Members and Superintendents about the Oranger Ribbon Bill for Healthy School Hours.
• March 5, 2017:  SSL wriote a letter to Comptroller Franchot aout the economic impact of later start times.  Here was the Comptroller Office's response, suggestion it was a local issue. 
• January 15 and March 1, 2017:  SSL MD invited all Board of Education members and Superintendents across the state, MD PTA, MABE, and PSSAM to attend Adolescent Sleep, Health, and Start Time Conference to be held in April in Washington DC.
• December 12, 2016: SSL MD wrote a letter to the Baltimore City Health Commissioner.
• December 5, 2016: SSL MD testified before the state Board of Education.
• October 17, 2016: SSL MD wrote a letter to Governor Larry Hogan comparing his executive order on post-Labor Day starts to the need for healthy and safe school hours.
• October 4, 2016: Baltimore Sun published our Letter to the Editor on chronic absenteeism.
• August 2016: Psychiatric News discussed Start School Later and Maryland's Orange Ribbon Bill for Healthy School Hours
• May 25, 2016:  The  Calvert Recorder published our Letter to the Editor in response to their Orange Ribbon article.
• May 11, 2016: The City of Crisfield website reported on the Orange Ribbon Bill.
• May 4, 2016: The Calvert Recorder wrote about the Orange Ribbon Bill and Calvert County's eligibility.​  The article was adapted/published May 12th to apply to all southern Maryland counties.
• May 2, 2016:  The Huffington Post discussed the Orange Ribbon Bill for Healthy School Hours.
• April 26, 2016:  SSL appeared on WYPR's (Baltimore's NPR affiliate) Midday program "Should Schools Push the Snooze Button"
• March 29, 2016:  Education Week and the K-12 Contrarian discussed the Orange Ribbon Bill for Healthy School Hours.
• February 17, 2016  The Orange Ribbon Bill for Healthy School Hours was discussed on the Voxitatis Research Foundation blog.
• June 19, 2015: Southern MD News publishes a letter to the editor regarding school start times in Calvert County.
• August 11, 2015: The Baltimore Sun reports that Harford County updates its bus routing software. 
• April 4, 2014:  The Washington Post reported on the Maryland Legislature passing a bill that requires the Maryland Department of Heath and Mental Hygiene and Maryland State Department of Education to study school start times.
• March 10, 2013: Baltimore Sun reports on a bill to study school hours.  The article includes reference to bell times in Anne Arundel, Carroll, Howard, and Montgomery Counties. The legislation passed the house as reported by the Capital Gazette on March 27th.  
• ​January 17, 2013:  Frederick County tasked a committee to research school start times, according to a Southern MD News article.
• October 4, 2011:  The Calvert Recorder discussed teen sleep and  school start times.
• September 23, 2011:  The Carroll​ County Public Schools moves high school start times 5-10 minutes earlier to 7:30 to save transportation money for the 2012-2013 school year.  
• August 22, 2011: A Letter to the Editor  of the Calvert Recorder makes the case for later middle and high school start times.     
• November 24, 2003:  Frederick County Board of Education discuss Bus Schedule options (Agenda Item 2.02).  A Report and Summary of Costs were provided.  ​