At a community forum on Dec. 16, many people heard the proposals for a change to the Guilford school start times. The scientific research is unanimous in supporting a move to a later start for high schools and is backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (which views this as a public health issue).

Guilford currently starts earlier than 90 percent of high schools, so a change is needed to align students’ biological clocks with school clocks. High school principals around the country who have made the change acknowledge that their students were skeptical at first, but now embrace the additional sleep (having been successfully able to adapt their athletic and extra-curricular schedules). Studies show that even a 30 minute delay increases sleep significantly (with a multiplier effect as students actually go to bed earlier than before).

I would encourage parents, students, teachers and other community members to review the Board of Education website, which contains much more information on the topic.

Craig Mullett

Guilford