The Honorable Edmund G. Brown Jr.
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Senate Bill 328 – Request for Signature
Dear Governor Brown:
Please sign into law Senate Bill 328, a public health measure ensuring the health and safety of California adolescents. It would require the school day for middle schools and high schools to begin no earlier than 8:30 am by July 1, 2021.
Frustrated by early school start times in Texas (for example, many Houston-area high schools start at 7 am), I joined the non-profit organization, Start School Later. It is a coalition of educators, parents and health professionals dedicated to ensuring school start times are compatible with health, safety, education and equity.
As a sufferer of a genetic circadian rhythm sleep disorder, I understand firsthand the impact sleep deprivation has on a person’s physical and mental health. For most teens (and some people), they can't simply "go to bed earlier" to get adequate sleep. Why?
When adolescents reach puberty, a phase delay occurs in the timing of the body’s internal clock – their sleeping and waking times shift. Melatonin and and other hormones are released later; this can be measured and proven physiologically. Therefore, the timing of their sleep onset is not a question of willpower or discipline.
Early middle school and high school start times make it difficult for students to get the 8 to 10 hours of nightly sleep that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends for optimal teen health. Nearly 73% of high school students report getting fewer than 8 hours of sleep on an average school night.
Each hour of lost sleep is associated with a 38% increase in the risk of feeling sad or hopeless, and a 58% increase in suicide attempts. High school seniors are three times more likely to have strong symptoms of depression if they have excessive daytime sleepiness. The CDC considers teen sleep deprivation to be a public health crisis.
Adult conveniences and bus schedules have become the deciding factor in daily school hours - NOT what is best for students. School superintendents know the irrefutable science regarding healthy hours but changing entrenched school hours is a political hot potato that few want to address. Many districts would welcome the framework state legislative parameters provide to local districts.
Setting guidelines for school daily start times is as necessary as creating standards for speed limits in a school zone, daily lunch times and clean water in drinking fountains. Specific school hours must be determined by a school district but parameters is a matter of public health allowing districts to prioritize the health and safety of our children.
As Start School Later advocates for state legislative parameters, we look to California to show the rest of the nation the way to protect our teens. Please lead the way!
Sincerely,
Alexandra Spencer
Chapter Leader, Start School Later – Greater Austin
@delayedsleeper
