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WAKE UP ("Wide Awake Kids Excel") is a a voluntary group of parents, students and teachers in Montgomery County public schools who are concerned about the negative educational, health and safety consequences of sleep deprivation caused by early high school start times. For over two years, we have worked to identify and build support for scheduling changes that will enable high school students to get more sleep.

We are working with school officials to find solutions that balance:
        *       healthy amounts of sleep for kids
        *       transportation considerations
        *       extracurricular activities
        *       teachers' and school staff needs
        *       and other concerns.
Right now, we are supporting a  Board of Education taskforce exploring the potential of "flexible schedules" that will offer students the option of starting later and also use school buildings more efficiently.  We are also working to identify and support candidates for the Board of Education who favor such scheduling changes.

If you would like to stay informed about our progress and help us improve school schedules for our children, please consider:

1)  Exploring this website and the links with many sources of up to date information pertaining to adolescent sleep needs 

2)  Joining WAKE UP by signing up for our e-mail network

3)  Coming to a WAKE Up meeting

4) Contributing $20 to the WAKE UP program fund to help cover administrative costs. 

5) Contacting the Board of Education and Superintendent Weast to urge them to make a later school start time a top priority. (see names and addresses below) 

7) Publishing a WAKEUP article in your PTSA newsletter

8) Posting a message on your school e-mail network

9) Conducting a survey of student  sleep habits at your school. Contact Marie Cohen at the4cohens1@comcast.net.

10) Talking to students, parents, teachers and school administrators about this issue.

Thank you for your attention and help with this worthy program.

Board of Education

Patricia O'Neill, President

Sharon W. Cox, Vice President

Kermit V. Burnett

Reginald M. Felton

Charles Haughey

Walter N. Lange

Gabe Romero

Mihyar Alnifaidy, Student Member

Jerry D. Weast, Superintendent of Schools 

Address for all school board members and Weast:
Carver Educational Services Center850 Hungerford Drive, (Room 123 for School Board; 122 for Weast), Rockville, Maryland 20850

E-mails to boe@fc.mcps.k12.md.us will be copied automatically to all board members
Fax for Superintendent Weast: (301) 279-3205