We, the undersigned students, parents, staff, and general community members of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, respectfully petition for high school students to be presented with the ability to have an excused first block, in line with the national health recommendations.

How it would work:

We understand a later start time is not realistic due to logistics, which is why we came up with a compromise: students will have the opportunity to choose an excused first block in their first block in place of an elective or optional classes.

The following is a list is answers to frequently asked questions and concerns regarding this petition:

• There will be no second bus run for these students, and they must be willing to agree that it is their responsibility to be at school before the second block.
• Students must also agree that they must still obtain the required number of credits to graduate, despite this excused first block.
• The end of school time will stay per usual (2:00 pm); therefore, teachers must not be required to stay at school for extended periods or host extra classes due to this program.
• When students go to select their classes, they will be presented with the option of an excused first block.
• Excused first block is not a class, meaning there would be no classroom and no paying teachers to sit in empty classrooms.
• Students who opt into this program must show up at the beginning of the second block to not being tardy. 

 

Here are some real-world examples that have shown similar results:

Note: Our exact proposal has never been done before, so the following is statistics of schools and districts that adopted later start times instead.

 

Minneapolis Public Schools (Early 1990s)

High schools shifted from a 7:15 AM start time to an 8:40 AM start time and showed an immediate impact. Students and teachers were able to retain and relay more information, resulting in better test scores, general morale, and motivation showed an immediate impact.

 

Seattle Public Schools

Delayed start from 7:50 AM to 8:45 AM. This change had an immediate impact on performance, including quizzes, test scores, and general educational class activities.

 

Statewide Policies: California & Florida

• California (2019 law): High schools cannot start earlier than 8:30 AM.
• Florida (2023) followed with a similar requirement.
  Both laws led to similar results as the ones above, including stronger overall performance by students and staff. 

 

Health considerations:

Health organizations (AAP, CDC, American Academy of Sleep Medicine) all recommend that students not begin instructional learning until 8:30 AM. Teens need 8-10 hours of sleep to perform at their best, and with current start times, that’s nearly impossible, both biologically and practically. Studies have shown that a teen's biological clock naturally allows them to fall asleep at 11 pm at the earliest. As a result of this, teens have improvised by taking supplements like melatonin, sometimes even overdosing, in an attempt to match current start times. Encouraging these supplements can have a significant negative impact on students' well-being, causing them to feel groggy throughout the day and making it excruciatingly difficult to retain and recall information.

 

Safety:

Studies have shown that operating a vehicle while sleep deprived is more risky than operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol; this poses a safety risk as students and parents will have a severely difficult time driving to school, and may increase the crash reports.

 

Well-Being & School Culture:

Some benefits of having the option of an excused first block for students who take advantage of it would include: 

• Better sleep
• Reduced mental health issues
• Less substance use
• Improved physical health
• Better attendance
• Less fights and more positive interactions in general
• Enhanced attention
• Less cheating on schoolwork
• Improved learning outcomes
• More effective teaching
• Better classroom management

And much more.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, given the overwhelming, consistent positive impacts of later start times demonstrated across the country, we hope that after reading this, people will begin to view this movement as an investment, not a burden. By implementing the no-cost structure written above, the district can immediately prioritize student health and safety while still maintaining operational feasibility. We ask the school board to review and adopt this proposal for the 2026-2027 school year. Let’s give our high school students the sleep they need to reach their full potential.