League of Women Voters of Tarrant County Supports Healthy School Hours for Teens

The Arlington chapter of Start School Later is heartened by the announcement on Tuesday from the League of Women Voters of Tarrant County in favor of later high school start times. LWVTC issued a consensus statement at their annual meeting in support of aligning the start of the school day with adolescent sleep patterns and recognizing the American Academy of Pediatrics' 2014 policy statement recommending the start of the high school day after 8:30 am. The LWV-Tarrant County action is a result of a yearlong study lead by the Arlington Area unit. The League affirmed decades of sleep science indicating adolescents experience a delayed sleep phase at puberty and require approximately nine hours of sleep. Districts that recognize the biology of teens improve the health, safety and academic achievement of high school students. Forty percent of the school districts in Tarrant County begin high school in the 7 o'clock hour including Arlington, Birdville, Everman, Kennedale, and Mansfield ISD. The LWVTC encourages such school districts to implement later daily start times and to work with and educate parents, staff, and students about the sleep health of adolescents.