Plan For Later California School Starts Gets Mixed Grades

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A proposal to delay start times in California schools is getting mixed grades.

A bill is cruising through the Legislature that would prohibit middle schools and high schools from starting earlier than 8:30 a.m. A final vote could be coming next month.

Supporters say it would give kids a better night's sleep and improve school performance.

But others worry that it would turn family schedules into chaos.

Knikki Royster, a mother of two, tells The Sacramento Bee she starts work at 7:30 a.m. and she doesn't want her kids walking a mile to school.

She says the proposal would disrupt families.

But the bill's sponsor -- Democratic state Sen. Anthony Portantino of La Canada Flintridge -- says studies that show kids are not getting enough sleep and it's harming their health.