Welcome to Start School Later Texas!

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ACTION ALERT!

Representative Ana Hernandez of Houston has agreed to sponsor legislation in the 86th session requiring
ALL public schools in Texas to begin instruction at 8:00 a.m. or later. 

Take these easy steps:​

• ​Email the House Public Education Committee to request a hearing on HB1602 by clicking the "Email Public Education Committee" link below. ​Be sure to add a personal example of why you support healthy school start times and add your signature to the provided email.
  

• ​Forward this webpage to your contacts throughout Texas and ask them to do the same!
  

Email House Public Education Committee

Gmail Users: click here to set Gmail as your default email​​​​

If the link above is not working with your email service, click here for help.

Yahoo users will need to cut and paste the addresses, but can utilize the body of the letter.

Twitter users @danhuberty

Education funding, mental health and safety of Texas school children is a priority this session
after the tragic mass shooting at Santa Fe High School.

HB 1602 provides school districts the framework necessary to insure all students attend school
at a time they are rested and ready to learn.
​
Thanks for your support of healthy school hours in Texas!

MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE
PUBLIC EDUCATION COMMITTEE

(Chair) dan.huberty@house.texas.gov
ken.king@house.texas.gov harold.dutton@house.texas.gov  alma.allen@house.texas.gov diego.Bernal@House.Texas.gov morgan.meyer@house.texas.gov gary.vandeaver@house.texas.gov steve.allison@house.texas.gov trent.ashby@house.texas.gov keith.bell@house.texas.gov mary.gonzalez@house.texas.gov scott.sanford@house.texas.gov james.talarico@house.texas.gov amy.peterson@house.texas.gov

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Start School Later Texas advocates for healthy daily start time state parameters benefiting public school students. In addition, four local chapters are committed to advocating locally for safer, healthier school start times. 

• Arlington 
• Greater Austin
• Houston Area
• Montgomery County 

If you are interested in contacting Start School Later Texas, or starting a chapter in your city, county or school district, fill out our "Contact Us" form on this page.

TX Districts Starting H.S. at 8:30 AM or Later

TX Districts Starting H.S. in 7 o'clock Hour

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Senate Public Education Committee hearing on reviewing the state Education Code. Houston chapter leader Yen Rabe, Austin chapter leader Alex Spencer with Senator Larry Taylor, chair, after testifying. Nov. 27, 2018.

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SSL Texas chapter leader, Debbie Moore, SSL Houston Area chapter leader, Yen Rabe, and two students from Pasadena High School, Pedro Gonzalez and Juliette Venegas, testified at the TX Senate Select Hearing on School Violence, July 18, 2018.

Greater Austin chapter leader, Alex Spencer's, prepared comments to the TX senate education committee, April 4, 2018.

Texas Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) Issues Recommendations for Daily Class and Activity Start Times, November 2016.

SSL Texas researched high school start times of 977 school districts in Texas. The earliest school start time goes to Aldine ISD with a daily start time of 7:05 AM. Bus routes for this district begin at 5:45 AM! Here are Texas high school start times by the numbers:

• 54 school districts in TX begin high school between 7:00-7:29 AM
• 313 school districts between 7:30-7:59 AM
• 495 school districts between 8:00-8:29 AM
• 114 school districts at 8:30 AM or later

Only 12% of TX school districts begin the day at 8:30 AM or later as recommended by the CDC, AMA, AAP, and numerous other health organizations. 88% of TX school districts are mandating sleep deprivation for high school students.

Texas District High School Start Times Facts

 Improve education in Texas: Let teens get their sleep, Texas Tribune Op-ed by Debbie O. Moore, June 4, 2018.

HuffPost Blog on TX High School District Research, August 2017.

Members of SSL Arlington & Houston join Start School Later Executive Director, Dr. Terra Ziporyn Snider at The University of Texas on January 27, 2017 for her ED Talk - "A Matter of Time: Adolescent Sleep and School Start Times".

The Houston area has the largest cluster of early daily high school start times in the state. Houston ISD standardized their bell schedules for the 2018-19 academic year. As a result of SSL Houston Area advocacy, all middle and high schools in the district will start at 8:30 am.

Houston ISD has already created a wave of change. Goose Creek Consolidated ISD has also approved healthy hours for 2018-19.

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