Teenagers need later school start times
“Sleep phase delay” is the change of teenagers’ biological clock during puberty and makes it difficult to fall asleep at the times they used to. The circadian rhythm can be delayed by up to two hours – a teenager who used to fall asleep at 9 PM might now not be able to fall asleep until 11 PM!
This is not just bad habits such as late-night device usage.
Getting more sleep from later school start times is associated with reduced depression, anxiety, obesity, and even caffeine consumption. They are more likely to eat breakfast in the mornings.
Car crashes involving teenagers are reduced by later school start times – not only in the morning, but all day long! This is especially important with the potentially difficult winter driving conditions here in Colorado.
Later school start times have been shown to improve mood (reducing behavioral problems), increase attendance, reduce tardiness, improve standardized test scores, and improve graduation rates. Some studies show that more sleep is as effective as reducing class size by 30%.
Similar to reductions in driving accidents, one study discovered that sports-related injuries dropped by over 40% for teenagers that got more sleep.
School districts nationwide are adjusting start times to accommodate natural teenager sleeping patterns. Both the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend start times of 8:30am or later.
Many nearby Colorado school districts are are moving or have already moved to later start times, including:
Adams 12 School District
Boulder Valley School District
Brighton 27J
Cherry Creek School District
Denver Public Schools
Jefferson County Schools
Littleton Public Schools
Thompson School District
Weld County School District
Yes. In SVVSD:
Changing the start times for schools throughout a school district is a complicated process that must be coordinated with bus schedules. We need to get started on this sooner rather than later.
In addition, this change will be disruptive to some families and cannot be a surprise. Time will be needed to ensure that appropriate before- or after-school care is provided.
Call your area superintendent and let them know that you support improving the start times.
Attend an upcoming superintendent town hall to voice support for the change.
Visit https://www.svvsd-sleep.com/ to learn more!
American Medical Association recommendation:
https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-supports-delayed-school-start-times-improve-adolescent-wellness
American Academy of Pediatrics:
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/134/3/642/74175/School-Start-Times-for-Adolescents
Information page by Jefferson County on the recent change:
https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/schools/school_areas/start_times/benefits_and_resources
https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=627965&pageId=22251608
Article discussing impact of school schedules on sports by The Atlantic:
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/04/how-school-start-times-affect-high-school-athletics/522537/