More Schools Waking Up to Student Health

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Schools in at least sixteen states planning to push back start times this year
August 3, 2016
 
Schools in at least sixteen states are planning to ring the first bell later this fall, according to the national non-profit organization Start School Later.

“More and more schools are delaying bell times specifically to improve student sleep, health, and learning," states Start School Later's Executive Director Dr. Terra Ziporyn Snider. "While some of these schools will still be starting classes too early, or moving high schools later by moving other kids earlier, the fact that they are making changes to help teens get healthier sleep is impressive and a clear sign of progress."
 
Snider expects numbers to climb now that the American Medical Association has joined the American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control in calling for start times no earlier than 8:30 a.m. for middle and high schools. Schools reportedly planning to start later in the morning for the 2016/2017 school year include, by state:
 
California: Morago Middle School
Florida: Leon County Schools (offering optional late arrival) Illinois: Normal (Unit 5)
Indiana: Monroe County Community Schools Iowa: Iowa City
Maine: Biddeford, Saco, Dayton, Orchard Beach districts, plus the Thornton Academy Massachusetts: Canton and Hanover
Michigan: Ewen-Trouth Creek Schools
Minnesota: Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Schools, Wayzata North Carolina: Durham
Rhode Island: East Greenwich South Carolina: Charleston County Tennessee: Germantown
Vermont: Bennington Virginia: Montgomery County Washington: Bellevue, Seattle
 
While no official reporting of school start times occurs in the U.S., Start School Later regularly tracks progress toward healthier school-day start times and provides support to communities making these changes. School leaders and community members who wish to learn more about the research and success stories can visit Start School Later’s website at www.startschoollater.net .
 
National Contact: Stacy Simera, Communications Director Email: [email protected]
Tel: 330-389-9133
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