MCPS Board and Superintendent, Please Wake Up to the Need for Healthier Secondary School Start Times!

SIGN THE PETITION FOR APPROPRIATE MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL START TIMES!

MCPS Board and Superintendent,

Montgomery County, Maryland middle and high school students deserve safe and healthy start times which are directly related to student health. We can achieve these gains simply by implementing a bell time change for secondary schools to begin at 8:30 a.m. or later, as recommended by nearly every medical group in the country. States and school districts across the country are already making this change, yet MCPS continues to ignore the need. The science is clear, during adolescent years, teens need 8 – 10 hours of sleep per night, yet their onset of sleep often doesn’t occur until approximately 11:00 pm. It's time to make this change!

Psychology Today: Teen Sleep: Why It Matters and How We Can Help -January 2, 2024 Sleep is critical for teens’ health: Moving school start times can help
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-the-roo...
“… Most teens are not getting the sleep they need (at least 8 hours of sleep per night) for their health. Helping teens get the sleep they need can improve academic outcomes, physical health and mental health”

New York Times: California Becomes First State to Move Back School Start Times – July 13, 2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/us/california-later-school-start-times.html

“… California legislators passed a first-of-its-kind law requiring that public high schools begin classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m., and that middle schools start no earlier than 8 a.m. The law officially went into effect on July 1.”

“…another piece that plays an important factor in teen mental health, especially now: sleep and its role in boosting mental health and emotional resiliency.”

Education Week: Teens Need to Start School Later. No More Excuses, Experts Say – August 15, 2023
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/teens-need-to-st...
“…despite well-documented and publicized research in favor of later school start times for adolescents and teens, countless districts resist the change…..”

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