7:30 → 8:30: AN HOUR CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A CHILD'S MORNING A Parent-Led Petition Asking the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation to Move Early School Start Times to 8:30 A.M. GIVE OUR CHILDREN A HEALTHIER START We are asking the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) to formally review its early school start times and consider moving schools currently beginning at 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. This is not about making school easier, reducing instructional time, or allowing children to be lazy. It is about giving our children a better opportunity to wake up, eat breakfast, get ready, travel safely, and arrive at school prepared to learn. WHY THIS MATTERS For many families, a 7:30 a.m. school start means children must wake extremely early. A child may need to wake around 6:40 a.m. or earlier, get dressed, shower or bathe, brush their teeth, have their hair fixed, eat breakfast, gather their backpack, and get to school on time. For younger children, these routines can take even longer because many still need help from parents or caregivers. A kindergartner or elementary-school child should have enough time to complete these basic morning needs without feeling rushed from the moment they wake up. And this isn't only about teenagers. CHILDREN NEED SLEEP AT EVERY AGE According to the CDC: • Children ages 3–5: 10–13 hours of sleep • Children ages 6–12: 9–12 hours • Teenagers ages 13–17: 8–10 hours Adequate sleep supports children's health and can help with focus and concentration. The CDC also discusses associations between insufficient sleep and attention and behavior difficulties. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools aim for a start time of 8:30 a.m. or later, citing concerns about adolescent sleep. Research published in Pediatrics has also found that later school start times are associated with longer sleep duration among students. While these recommendations do not establish that 8:30 a.m. is the perfect time for every child, they provide an important reason to examine very early school schedules. THIS IS ABOUT THE WHOLE CHILD Our kindergarteners need sleep. Our elementary-school students need sleep. Our middle-school students need sleep. Our high-school students need sleep. Their recommended amounts differ by age, but every age group has important sleep needs. Our children also need time in the morning to: Wake up. Eat breakfast. Take care of personal hygiene. Get dressed. Gather their belongings. Prepare mentally for the school day. Arrive safely and ready to learn. WHAT WE ARE ASKING EVSC TO DO We respectfully ask the EVSC Board of School Trustees and administration to: 1. Formally review the current 7:30 a.m. school schedules. 2. Examine research concerning student sleep and school start times. 3. Survey parents, students, teachers, and school staff. 4. Study transportation, childcare, athletics, staffing, and financial considerations. 5. Specifically consider the needs of younger elementary-school children. 6. Publicly share the findings with the community. 7. Seriously consider moving schools currently starting at 7:30 a.m. to an 8:30 a.m. start. We understand that changing school schedules is complicated. We are not asking EVSC to make a decision without studying the consequences. We are asking EVSC to open the conversation and listen to the families it serves. TO THE PARENTS OF EVANSVILLE & VANDERBURGH COUNTY If you have ever looked at the clock in the morning and thought: “My child needs more time.” If you have rushed your children through breakfast, helped a young child get dressed while watching the clock, or worried that your child isn't getting enough rest before school— your voice belongs in this conversation. You don't have to believe that 8:30 a.m. is the perfect solution. You only have to believe that the question deserves to be seriously examined. PLEASE SIGN & SHARE One signature is one voice. Thousands of signatures are thousands of voices asking EVSC to listen. Let's examine the evidence. Let's hear from our families. Let's hear from our students. And let's put our children's needs at the center of the conversation. 7:30 → 8:30 AN HOUR CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A CHILD'S MORNING.