CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

State report suggests schools start too early in the morning. How will Lancaster County schools respond?

Intelligencer Journal - 10/20/2019

Falling asleep in class?

Can’t focus?

Feeling depressed?

There may be a cure: later secondary school start times.

That’s according to a report published this week by a state-commissioned advisory committee made up of educators, health professionals, transportation administrators, parents and students.

The group, created after the General Assembly passed a 2018 resolution crafted by state Sen. Andrew Dinniman (D-West Chester) calls sleep deprivation among teenagers a "public health crisis of epidemic proportions," but concludes Pennsylvania schools can help by considering moving secondary school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later.

Educational, medical and psychological organizations across the country agree. But Lancaster County school officials contacted by LNP haven’t completely bought in.

“I agree wholeheartedly that adolescents are not getting enough sleep, but question whether or not later start times would fix that,” Eastern Lancaster County Superintendent Bob Hollister said.

Hollister said later start times could “yield a zero gain” due to pushing back after-school and sporting events — and, therefore, family dinner times.

------------

The need for sleep

The report, titled “Sleep Deprivation in Adolescents: The Case for Delaying Secondary School Start Times,” highlights potential roadblocks, particularly extracurricular activities, busing schedules and staffing, and the impact on students, parents, teachers and staff.

Still, studying later secondary school start times is a worthy endeavor, the report says.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends eight to 10 hours of sleep per day for teenagers; however, 73% of students nationwide — and 80% of students statewide — don’t meet that goal.

That can lead to myriad health problems, from diabetes, heart disease and stroke to anxiety, depression and overall inattentiveness, says the American Psychological Association.

Puberty, the report says, causes a delayed release in melatonin, which affects sleep onset and wake times. Waking up a teenager at 7 a.m. is like waking up an adult at 4 a.m., it says.

------------

Making the switch

The report says at least 25 school districts since 2011 have successfully implemented later start times, and dozens more have at least discussed it. Linden Hall, a private, all-girls school in Lititz, bumped its start time from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in 2016, the report says.

For those interested in exploring the idea, the report recommends starting a community advisory group, measuring outcomes once the shift is made and collectively problem-solving with other districts.

“The research on the benefits for a later school start time is quite clear,” Penn Manor Superintendent Mike Leichliter said. “The report gives some excellent guidance on how to approach an exploration of later start times.”

------------

Others must be on board

One challenge, Leichliter added, related to the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center, which serves students from 16 Lancaster County high schools.

“In order for me to recommend to the Penn Manor school board later start times, it would be important to see that a majority of school districts in Lancaster County were also moving in that direction,” said Leichliter, also the CTC’s superintendent of record. “Otherwise, it would have an adverse impact on the availability of programming for our students at the LCCTC.”

Manheim Township Superintendent Robin Felty said there was merit to reviewing secondary start times, “given some of the research that shows how attendance and performance will improve if teenagers get more sleep.”

But she shared similar concerns over logistics — extracurricular activities, after-school care, pick-up and drop-off times, and a potential increase in busing costs, for instance.

“These are all conversations that would need to be discussed with our community before we would proceed in this direction,” Felty said.

To read the state’s full report, visit bit.ly/PAStartTimes.

Crédito: ALEX GELI | Staff Writer