As parents, students, and residents of New York State, we support our teenagers’ right to healthy school hours, starting at 8:30 AM or later. The research is clear, we prevent teens from getting the 8-10 hours of sleep they need to be healthy, happy, and successful when we start school before 8:30 AM.

Twenty years of scientific evidence clearly shows the benefits our students would get from healthy school hours:

• Higher test scores
• Lower risk of depression, anxiety, and suicide
• Reduced substance use and risk-taking
• Fewer athletic injuries
• Lower rate of car accidents

Healthy school hours are supported and recommended by:

• American Medical Association
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• National Parent Teacher Association
• National Education Association
• U.S. Surgeon General

For more information, visit StartSchoolLater.net

Why is changing school start times important?

When kids go through puberty, their biological clock shifts later. Teenagers’ bodies are in “sleep mode” from about 11 PM to 8 AM, which does not match early school start times. This fixed sleep/wake pattern is biological. It goes beyond healthy sleep habits like avoiding screens before bed.

Students get more sleep when school districts delay start times to 8:30 or later. Their sleep time increases by about the same amount that the start time shifts later, and they reap all of the expected benefits.

There is growing momentum for healthy school hours across the state and the country. California passed a bill requiring all high schools to start at 8:30 or later. Let’s also be a leader in promoting student well-being and academics. Although there are challenges with changing school start times, we can overcome them to do the right thing when we prioritize student wellness and success.

Every year that we maintain the unhealthy status quo of early start times, our students suffer. We owe it to our students, our children, to act now. You can make a difference! Sign to show our State Government you support our youths’ right to a healthy start time.