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Last month's article was about the serious negative consequences of sleep deprivation among high school students.  Some readers may have reacted by saying, “hasn’t it always been that way?” Or, “isn’t it this way all over the country?” The answer to both questions is a resounding “No!”

It certainly hasn’t always been that way. Before 1993, MCPS high school start times ranged from 7:20 to 8:20.  It was only in 1993 that starting times were standardized to 7:25 in order to save money on buses by having the same buses start their run with high school students, then do a middle school run, and finally drive to elementary school.  The new system certainly saved money, but at an unacceptably high cost to students–fatigue, stress, reduced academic performance, over-reliance on caffeine and other stimulants, and sometimes more serious consequences, such as depression, risky and delinquent behavior, and automobile accidents. 

And it certainly isn’t like this–even all over the Washington metropolitan area.  D.C. public high schools start at 8:30, Prince George’s County high schools start at various times between 8:00 and 9:30. Local private high school start times range from 8:00 at Sidwell and Sandy Spring Friends to 8:25 at St. Andrews. Across the state, thirteen systems start high school later and only three systems start earlier than ours, with two starting at about the same time. Among the nation’s 25 most populous school districts, thirteen start high school later than Montgomery County, and only four start earlier, while seven start at about the same time as Montgomery County.

Not only are we on the early end of the current range of school starting times, but the trend seems to be in the opposite direction.  Edina, a large suburb of Minnesota known for its high-performing schools, changed its high school starting time from 7:20 to 8:30 in 1996. Inspired by the good results that Edina reported, Minneapolis shifted its high school start time from 7:15 to 8:40 in 1997.  And, closer to home, Arlington moved the start of high school from 7:30 to 8:15 this fall.

While it is too early to say anything about Arlington, results from studies in Minnesota are encouraging.  In Edina, students reported getting a full hour more sleep every weeknight, while Minneapolis students increased their sleep by 45 minutes. Surveys of students and teachers in Edina and Minneapolis suggest that students are more alert during first and second period, less likely to be absent or late, less likely to be depressed, and no less likely to participate in sports.  According to Edina’s superintendent of schools, the shift to a later high school start time “had the single greatest benefit towards creating a good learning environment of anything we’ve done.”

Currently, many other districts are considering switching to a later starting time.  Montgomery County is known for being a leader in education.  The county should live up to its reputation and be a leader once again.  You can help by joining WAKE UP!, a group of concerned parents, teachers, and students working for a saner school schedule in Montgomery County.  Visit our website, http://www.patesslinger.com/wakeup/, where you can join our listserv, access many resources on teen sleep patterns and school starting times, and find out when our next meeting will be. Contact the School Board and Superintendent to express your views. Get involved!  Together we can improve things for our children. 

Marie Cohen is a Westland (soon to be BCC) and Somerset parent. Susan Merewitz is the parent of a sophomore at BCC and a BCC graduate. This is the second in a series of articles about high school starting times in Montgomery County.  To read the first article, on the negative consequences of too-early high school starts, click here.
 

Parents, students, teachers and other school staff concerned about the problem of sleep deprivation among high school and middle school students are encouraged to join WAKE UP!, an organization working for later school starting times in Montgomery County.  To join,  click here