As Students Return to School, Lofgren Reintroduces Legislation to Examine School Start Times
Press Release
Today, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) reintroduced the ZZZ's to A's Act to study the relationship between school start times and adolescent health and academic performance. First introduced by Lofgren in 1998, the legislation would direct the Department of Education to conduct an official study that reviews the existing scientific evidence, compares student health and performance across districts with different schedules, and evaluates factors that impact school start times. The Department would also provide recommendations and policy guidance to best support the physical and mental well-being of teenagers based on such findings.
In 2019, California became the first state in the nation to enact a law to move back school start times. That law went into effect at the start of this school year, and Lofgren's legislation would build on that effort at the federal level.
"The science is clear: when adolescents hit puberty, their biological clocks change, and they are often unable to fall asleep as early as they once could. Despite this, teenagers still need 8-10 hours of sleep per night, and early school start times often don't allow students to get the sleep they need to stay healthy and succeed academically. My family experienced this firsthand. When my daughter was in high school, she suddenly struggled to get up in the morning. It was tough, as a parent, to see this change, and it's why I first starting learning about school start times," said Rep. Lofgren. "This legislation will help provide local school districts around the country with the scientific data they need to make informed decisions about school start times."
In the 2017-2018 school year, 82% of public high schools and 79% of public middle schools in the United States started before 8:30 a.m. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children and adolescents who don't get enough sleep have higher risk of obesity, diabetes, injuries, poor mental health, and issues with attention and behavior. More than 70% of high school students report not getting enough sleep on school nights.
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