A lack of sleep is taking a toll on teen health, safety, and learning. Our position promotes "healthy school hours" for all students based on adolescent sleep research. Too-early school start times are a national public health concern with consequences impacting children, families, and the community at large. Besides forcing many children to walk and drive to school in pre-dawn darkness, these hours are creating a generation deprived of the sleep that growing brains and bodies require.
Why it matters
Research has shown the importance of restoring traditional school start times for adolescents. Medical experts include:
- Watch Sleep Reseacher Dr. Wendy Troxel Video - Why School should start later for teens.
Become familiar with the research Click here for research and studies
Click Here Video - How Sleep Affects Your Ability to Fight Illness
What we’re doing
Our League is a founding member of the Regional Adolescent Sleep Needs Coalition (RASNC) a community-based group dedicated to raising awareness of the nationally identified public health concern of chronic adolescent sleep deprivation and advocating for the accompanying nationally universally recommended medical solutions, including the establishment of healthy school hours.
Coalition members include school board members, school parents, school administrators, medical professionals and a variety of other concerned citizen stakeholders from the five shoulder counties of Philadelphia.
Coalition members were part of the advisory committee of the Joint State Government Commission of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which conducted a study of issues, benefits and options related to instituting a later start time to the school day in secondary schools. The report was released October 2019 and is in response to the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously approved Senate Resolution 417 of 2018 Sleep Deprivation in Adolescents: The Case for Delaying Secondary School Start Times Click here to access presentation summary.
Our Coalition is part of the National Start School Later movement and we maintain the Coalition website startschoollater.net/pa---southeastern.html .
Check out list of Pennsylvania School Districts Investigating Starting School Later CLICK HERE
What can you do
- Join the Coalition
- Visit the Coalition Website
- Visit the Pennsylvania Start School Later Page
- Become familiar with the research Click here for research and studies
- Read the Sleep Deprivation in Adolescents: The Case for Delaying Secondary School Start Times Click here to access full report and summary.
- Advocate with your school district for Healthy School Hours
- Like us on Facebook (RASNC Page)
- Sign the National Petition promote legislation to prevent public schools from starting before 8 a.m.