<p>I start at 8. If my school started later I wouldn’t get home until like 8 from practice and I don’t want that…</p>
<p>I would definitely support starting high school earlier. I remember myself trying harder to stay awake than actually learning the material during my first class of the day. Now that I’m in college and I don’t have this nonsense anymore (no class earlier than 12pm!), I MUCH more relaxed, alert and focused in my classes.</p>
<p>I really don’t think a later start time will benefit much, and it will be hard to stagger out busses for elementary, middle, and high schools. High schoolers often babysit younger siblings, so they would need to start earliest so that they are home when the younger kids get out of school. My high school hockey team is combined with three other schools, the latest one getting out at 4:15. We cannot have practices after that because there is not enough time to squeeze in ice before the boys varsity programs have their practices, so we must practice before school. Is their late start time saving them sleep, when they now must wake up at 5 am? In other sports, it is competitive to get turf time for practice, when multiple teams must play games on the turf. Pushing back start time would mean coaches would need to schedule more morning practices. Also, clubs might need to start meeting in the mornings instead of afterschool. Although it seems like a good idea, in reality I doubt teenagers would sleep any more. They would most likely stay up later to make up for the late arrival time.</p>
<p>The reason this won’t work is because the buses that run to pick the students up who do ride the bus need to have seperate times for high school, middle school, and elementary school. Though it is proven that high schoolers need more sleep than elementary schoolers, the government is not comfortable of allowing kindergardners to wait for their bus at their bus stop at 7 in the morning where it’s still dark at certain times of the year just to allow high schoolers some extra sleep.</p>
<p>youliveandlearn has it right–or at least that’s what most school systems give as their reason for not starting high schools later. Whether or not there absolutely MUST be separate times for elementary, middle, and high school is debatable, at least in some situations (e.g., when all three are on the same campus, which does happen in some school systems). However, the bus problem is very real, as is the worry about little kids going to school in the dark. This is exactly the problem the petition is proposing to overcome, by asking that we establish a minimum time before which it’s unsafe, unhealthy, and unwise educationally for any child, of any age, to go to school. By setting that rock-bottom limit, local schools can then set their individual schedules as desired by their communities, but without having to sacrifice health, safety, and education in doing so. Until about 30 years ago it was extremely rare for any high school to start before 8:30 or nine, so asking for a bottom limit is hardly unprecedented or radical. And the federal government already limits all sorts of things schools do (in the interest of protecting rights to safety, health, and education), including dictating the window in which lunch can be served. Ultimately, schools should set hours based first on the health and wellbeing of students. Everything else should and can come second, especially given what we now know about the harm associated with the extremely early start times. If you want the details, you can read the petition at [SignOn.org</a> Beta](<a href=“http://signon.org/sign/promote-legislation-to?source=c.em.cp&r_by=1520974]SignOn.org”>http://signon.org/sign/promote-legislation-to?source=c.em.cp&r_by=1520974).</p>
<p>We now have over 1,800 names on the petition from all over the country, as well as support from many leading sleep scientists, pediatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and school nurses. So if you support the idea of establishing a rock bottom acceptable earliest school start time (8 a.m.), please join us by signing the petition at [SignOn.org</a> Beta - Promote legislation to prevent public schools from starting before 8 a.m.](<a href=“http://signon.org/sign/promote-legislation-to.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=1521139]SignOn.org”>http://signon.org/sign/promote-legislation-to.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=1521139). For more information, check out StartSchoolLater.net . Yes, there are many logistical problems in making this change, but, yes, they can be overcome (and HAVE been overcome) when communities prioritize learning and health over adult convenience. Setting a lowest acceptable limit in the interest of protecting public health, safety, and equity will make it possible for local school systems to do this when they set their individual schedules.</p>