Our Germantown Municipal school district students are sleep deprived!  Some Germantown, TN schools start at 7am, and the Germantown Municipal school board is now considering changing school start times, but they have not decided yet.  In a recent survery, over two thirds of Germantown parents indicated they wanted later school start times for their children.  Unfortunately, the school board is now considering postponing any decision on school start times.  Parents, the time to act is now!

     A later school start time is vital to our students' overall health and well being.  According to an extensive review of sleep research published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews in 2014, sleep deprived children and teens are a greater risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, smoking, motor vehicle accidents, driving while intoxicated, fighting, stealing, poorer grades, and poorer test scores.  Not surprisingly, 25% of teens reported falling asleep at least once in class in the past week.  In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics, based on decades of sleep research, recommended that middle schools and high schools should start no earlier than 8:30am.  Since middle & high school students' biological clocks create a different sleep cycle than younger children and adults, putting them to bed early will not solve the problem.

     But with change comes hope.  According to Time magazine, dated September 22, 2014, over 1000 high schools have already made their school start times later, with improvements immediately observed in students' grades and attentiveness.

     Parents, let your voices be heard now.  By signing this petition, you will be clearly communicating to the Germantown, TN school board that the time for change is now, the time to start our schools later is now, and the time to take care of our children and teens is now.  Thank you for your participation.