Hello there.

This petition is aimed at pushing school start times back to 8:45 AM or later. Numerous studies from various organizations, most notably the CDC, have shown that starting schools before 8:30 is bad for kids mental health and physical health. This affects mostly only grades 6-12, so that is the grades we will be focusing on in this petition. For teenagers, sleep is one of the most important things for their health, even if they may deny it. Lack of sleep can cause numerous mental health problems and a few physical problems, including but not limited to, depression, anxiety, stress, and even an increased risk of developing diabetes. High Schools in the United States have an average start time of 8:00 which is a full thirty minutes before the CDC recommends schools start. And in Washington, the average school start time is 8:08, which is still too early. We require change, and this petition hopes to gain enough signatures to get local legislature aware of the problem, and make a solution. We suggest that schools start no earlier than 8:45 AM to allow teenagers to get the sleep that they need. We urge local legislatures to consider this. Please sign this petition so students in Washington (and hopefully nation wide) can get better sleep, and maintain a more healthy lifestyle.