I am in support of moving the Leon County High School and Middle School start times to 8:30 am or later in order to better meet the health needs of our children.
Why is this important?
There is compelling evidence, backed by the Centers for Disease Control and American Academy of Pediatrics, that our teens are showing increasing issues in health, mental health, academic performance, car accidents and brushes with the law related to sleep deprivation as a result of early school start times. There is also a clear correlation between moving school start times to at least an hour later (from 7:30am to 8:30 or even 9:30am) and noted improvements for our kids in all areas. Providing a schedule that promotes health and success for our children needs to be our top priority, and moving the school start time to at least an hour later can help make this happen for our kids.
