New California law: Let teens sleep in on school days

As millions of California students head back to school this month, they’ll get a bit more time before their alarms go off. The most populous state in the country is also the first to mandate start times in public schools – an effort to allow teens much-needed winks. Middle schools can start no earlier than 8 a.m., and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m.  

The law is based on studies that show teenagers aren’t getting enough sleep – and that their health and performance improve when they do. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has declared teen sleep deprivation a public health issue, calling teens “chronically sleep deprived and pathologically sleepy.” And a broad coalition of educators, parents, and health experts points to a large body of evidence that supports extending sleep times. 

“The overarching message is just to make sleep a priority,” says Lisa Lewis, a journalist and California mom who wrote the book “The Sleep-Deprived Teen.” “Sleep is not just a nice-to-have. It’s essential.”

But the law wrests control over school schedules from local communities, causing opponents to decry it as an imposition by lawmakers out of touch with the needs of families and individual school districts. Yet states across the country are considering similar measures – and perhaps learning from California about the level of cooperation necessary for implementation. 

What is the California law and what does it change?

SB 328, passed in 2019, allowed public school districts three years to transition to later start times. (Rural schools can opt out, because of their unique transportation needs.) The AAP recommends all schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., but the 8 a.m. middle school start was a compromise based on the logistics of busing. 

In preparing for the change, California districts had to work through some expected challenges, including creating school days that start later but leave time for after-school activities like sports, band, other extracurriculars, and jobs. Transportation is also a major factor for schools – but even more so in districts that stagger start times so schools can share buses. In many cases, bus limitations caused elementary schools to flip to earlier start times, which affects child care needs after school.

In and around Bakersfield, most high schools will start an hour later at 8:30, some at 9 or 9:24.The latest start takes school days to nearly 4:00 p.m., which means evening activities will go even later. 

In Compton, where high schools will begin 30 to 45 minutes later this year, the school board started discussions with teachers unions and transportation staff early on in the planning phase to evaluate capacity and solidify a schedule. “It was incumbent upon all of us to come to an amicable solution to ensure we were in full alignment and that we were indeed in a position to seamlessly implement the start of the 2022-2023 school year,” says Micah Ali, school board trustee and president emeritus, who supported the mandate from the start. 

As a whole, the California School Boards Association was originally against the mandate, but “moved past the opposition phase once the bill became law,” says CSBA Chief Information Officer Troy Flint via email. 

What does the research say? 

Research on teens, sleep, and school schedules dates back to the late-1990s, when high schools in Edina, Minnesota, moved start times based largely on teenagers’ biological clocks. Schools in Minneapolis followed. 

The AAP and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend children ages 13 to 18 get 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night. Most of them – 73% of high schoolers and 58% of middle school students – get less than that. 

Studies show later start times equate to more sleep time, and that more sleep improves attendance, graduation rates, and academic performance; reduces sports injuries; and decreases drowsy driving incidents and related motor vehicle crashes.  

“There’s nothing that we do better when we’re sleep deprived,” says Ms. Lewis.

Researchers also call insufficient sleep a “risk factor for depression, suicidality, and substance use” in teens. This is especially relevant in light of a CDC survey released in April that examined the pandemic’s effect on high schoolers’ mental health: 44% “experienced persistent sadness or feelings of hopelessness,” and nearly 30% had either attempted or seriously considered suicide in the previous year. 

What other states are considering legislation? 

New York and New Jersey both have legislation pending. New York’s says no public schools could start earlier than 8:30 a.m.; New Jersey’s would prohibit public high schools from starting earlier than that, even though a state task force has already recommended against a mandate, preferring that local districts set their own start times. A proposal in Massachusetts mirrors the California policy. 

Utah, Pennsylvania, and Indiana encourage schools to consider students’ sleep needs when setting school schedules. And Maryland encourages – but doesn’t mandate – starting at 8 a.m. or later. 

Hundreds of individual schools across the country, in 46 states, have decided on their own to implement schedules that support sleep recommendations. 

The difference in California is that public schools are doing it on demand. “School boards and staff have worked diligently to find workarounds and accommodations that respect the law as well as the needs of students and families, and we applaud them for that effort,” adds Mr. Flint.