Written by Debbie Curtis


Wake Up Call S


The ‘Domino Effect’ of Changing Bell Times


chool districts nationwide are changing bell times for a variety of reasons. Organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediat- rics claim that adolescent circadian rhythms conflict with early school


start times. In fact, the groups have recommended that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The National Center for Education Statistics determined that 43 percent of


public high schools in America start before 8 a.m. In addition, the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 2017 showed that 75.4 percent of U.S. high school students get fewer than eight hours of sleep on school nights, when these children should really average between nine and 10 hours. In particular, one study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that aver- age teenagers’ sleep cycles make it very difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m.


Objections to Mandating Bell-Time Changes Many parents can relate to the seemingly impossible task of waking their teen- agers early in the morning. However, former California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation last September, shortly before leaving office, that sought to allow stu- dents to sleep in. Senate Bill 328 had proposed that middle schools start no earlier than 8 a.m.


and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Brown agreed with the announced positions of the California Association of School Transportation Officials (CASTO)


20 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2019


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