Opening Statment :

   To make public schools start time nationwide at the earliest 9 am and a minimum of 5 hours of school each day. 

Reasoning :

   Sleep Experts determined a shift in sleep cycles beginning in adolescence that makes it more difficult for most adolescents to fall asleep as early as younger children or older adults. Typical sleep cycles begin around 11 PM for teenagers and continue through 8 AM. This means that an early wake-up call (5 or 6 AM) deprives adolescents of critical parts of their sleep cycle.

   Over 10% of U.S. high schools currently start before 7:30 a.m., 43% start before 8 a.m., and under 15% start after 8:30 a.m. Over 20% of U.S. middle schools start class at 7:45 a.m. or earlier. Bus pick-ups start as early as 5 a.m. in some districts, and teens must wake at 5 or 6 a.m. to get to school on time.

   A hundred years ago most schools started the day around 9 a.m. In the 1970s and 1980s, however, many schools shifted to earlier hours. Back then the importance of sleep and the nature of the adolescent sleep shift weren't understood, and the cost savings of running the fewest possible buses in three cycles was appealing.
Since the 1990s, sleep researchers and other health professionals have been telling us that these early school hours are harming children. It's not just the number of hours of sleep, but also the timing of sleep that is required for optimal health. Sleep deprivation's impacts include weight gain and eating disorders and increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular problems, and diabetes; reduced immunity; depression; anxiety; substance abuse; mood swings; behavior problems; suicidal ideation; and potential impacts on brain development.

   Kids are out walking to the bus or driving to school in the dark for most of the school year in many communities. With few adults around, they are at risk. Drowsy driving increases - for our newest drivers. Teens released in the early afternoon have hours of unsupervised time until the typical adult workday ends. Sleep deprivation increases risk-taking behavior, substance abuse, and impedes judgment and decision-making ability.