WAKE UP! 
 
 
High Schools Start Too Early
in Montgomery County, MD
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   WAKE UP! ("Wide Awake Kids Excel") is a Montgomery County family organization working to allow teenagers more sleep by providing an option to start high school later in the morning.  WAKE UP! tries to raise awareness about the negative educational, health and safety consequences of sleep deprivation for our families and works with the school system to find practical solutions.  Our high school children have to catch school buses as early as 6:25 am. This means they do not get enough sleep, are less alert in class, and cannot receive the full benefits of their high school education.
 

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WHAT WE WORK ON

  • Outreach to schools around the county 
  • Surveys to document the lack of sleep our teenagers are getting and the negative impacts of this deprivation
  • Work with board of Education, teachers, and principals to develop alternative scheduling models
  • Identifying and supporting Board of Education candidates who favor scheduling change
CONCERNS WITH THE CURRENT BELL TIMES

High school start times are too early and teens can’t get the 9 hours sleep per night that their bodies need;

Some bus pick-up times are so early that high school students are getting to school 30-35 minutes early.

REASONS FOR CONCERNS

Sleep deprivation in teenagers:

  • Adversely affects ability to concentrate in school and to perform to the best of their abilities
  • Decreases memory and attention to long-term goals
  • Contributes to tardiness and absenteeism
  • May contribute to dropping out of school as teens get caught in a cycle of tardiness, absenteeism, falling behind, and failing
  • Affects mood and behavior negatively. Lack of sleep contributes to anxiety and depression in girls especially and to aggressiveness and hyperactivity for both boys and girls.
  • Leads to increased consumption of caffeine, sugar other stimulants, with resultant effects on weight, nervousness, substance abuse
  • Contributes to unsafe driving
Early dismissal times give high school students more opportunities to get into trouble with drugs, alcohol, and juvenile crime.

Dropping students off at school 30-35 minutes before school starts leaves students unsupervised by adults for much of that time.

page last updated 1-16-04