Bill would help push back school start times
Middle school and high school students across Pennsylvania might be able to sleep in a bit longer during the school year.
A new bill in the state House of Representatives would give the OK for school districts to voluntarily adopt later start times for secondary school. The bipartisan proposal cites numerous studies suggesting an ideal start time for adolescents, particularly high schoolers, of 8:30 a.m. or later to prioritize adolescent student health and academic success.
The legislation, HB 2152, introduced by Rep. Jill Cooper, R-55th District, and Rep. Tim Briggs, D-149th District, would permit school districts to use funding from the School Safety and Mental Health Grant Program to help offset costs that come with implementing schedule changes.
“The proposal doesn’t mandate school districts to delay start times; it simply expands how schools can use existing funds if they choose to,” said Cooper in a press release. “If a district chooses to implement a later start time, it should be noted that it is a long journey with many meetings with the community. It is not something that happens overnight.”
The proposal is based on research that shows adolescents require more sleep than younger children or adults. Studies – including one conducted by the Joint State Government Commission in 2019 – showed that teenagers need an average of eight to 10 hours of sleep per night for optimal academic performance, physical health and emotional well-being.
Another study found that two years after a delayed start was implemented at select schools, graduation rates increased from 79% to 88%.
“Students who are healthy, rested and emotionally balanced learn better,” said Cooper.
But, she noted, adjusting daily schedules and rewriting bus routes for multiple buildings can be a logistical and financial challenge for schools.
“That’s where this legislation helps,” she said. “My bill allows districts to use funds from Pennsylvania’s existing School Safety and Mental Health Grant Program, administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, to cover the costs of changing start times.”
Most Pennsylvania middle schools and high schools start before 8:30 a.m.
Jefferson-Morgan School District in Greene County pushed its middle school and high school start times back by 30 minutes about three years ago, but even with the half-hour adjustment, the district encountered several logistical challenges.
Among them were child care concerns for working parents, and, at the secondary level, compressed practice schedules, gym availability, competitions, and transportation for athletics and extracurricular activities.
Additionally, said Superintendent Dr. Brandon Robinson, shifts in start and end times would impact teacher contracts.
“There are clear benefits to later start times, but there are also operational realities districts must weight carefully,” said Robinson in an email. “Many schools are not resistant to the research. They are working to balance those benefits with the practical impacts on families, staffing, programming, and the overall structure of the school day.”
Bentworth School District Superintendent Scott Martin said pushing back the start time for middle and high schools has been discussed in past years, but logistically, there would be challenges.
“We would need to have a much broader discussion to determine if this change would serve our community,” said Martin.