I’ve followed with interest the discussion regarding changing school start times and would like to make an observation. Many people cite the studies that support a later start time, and in particular reference a statement made by the American Academy of Pediatrics in August 2014. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention references that same statement to support the same position.

Both organizations use the statistic that teens need 8 ½ to 9 ½ hours of sleep each night. Both state the disadvantages of chronically sleep-deprived teens, including poor academic performance, increased accident risk, and at-risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking, and drug use. However, these studies specifically refer to chronic sleep deprivation.

For clarification, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement, not study, and recommended later start times to perhaps coincide with a teen’s biological clock time as only one factor to aid in the sleep deprivation problem facing teens. The following is lifted directly from that policy statement: “It is clear that additional research is needed to further document the effects of changes in school start times over time, to examine specific factors that increase or decrease the likelihood of positive outcomes, and to assess the effect on families, the community, other stakeholders, and the educational system in general.”

The statement continues with “It should also be emphasized that delaying school start times alone is less likely to have a significant effect without concomitant attention to other contributing and potentially remediable factors, such as excessive demands on students’ time because of homework, extracurricular activities, after-school employment, social networking, and electronic media use.”

Delaying school start time would only mean the teen’s schedule shifts and homework, extracurricular activities (including sports and jobs), begin later, as does their bedtime. Or is the school district going to reduce the above-referenced contributing factors as well?

Christine Phillips

Guilford