Pennsylvania bill would let school districts use grant money to enact earlier start times

A new bill in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives encourages schools to enact later start times by letting districts use grant money to make the change.

The bill, sponsored by Westmoreland County Rep. Jill Cooper, authorizes secondary schools to use money from the School Safety and Mental Health Grant program to implement later school start times. The recommendation is to start no earlier than 8:30.

Studies show 80% of teenagers in the U.S. are sleep deprived.

"This is not related to screen use or they're lazy or a parenting problem," said Dr. Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh. "It is because their brains are biologically wired to fall asleep later and wake up later during puberty, so it's completely biological through hormone changes." 

She goes on to explain that the lack of sleep "has a significant impact on everything, including academic performances, their grades, their GPA, mental health, and also, safety."  

That includes "higher rates of car crashes, injuries, substance use, aggressive behaviors, including risks of carrying a weapon, when teens are not getting enough sleep," Dr. Fong-Isariyawongse says. 

She worked with Rep. Cooper on the bill after finding that while many superintendents understand the science and the benefits of later start times, they have impediments to making the adjustment. 

If the bill becomes law, schools can access money to help with changing bus schedules, after-school programs or other related changes.

You can get more on the benefits of a later start time in this story with Dr. Fong-Isariyawongse here. 

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