GREENWICH PTAC Health & Wellness Committee Presentation on Teen Sleep Needs and School Start Times May 2015

AAP Recommendation vs. GHS Schedule In August 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that no high school or middle school begin earlier than 8:30 am due to the biological shift in sleep needs of adolescents. Greenwich High School classes start at 7:30 am. Bus pick-ups begin as early as 6:30 am. Many athletic, band and music practices begin before school as early as 6:15 am.

Sleep Needs of Teens During puberty, teens’ circadian rhythm changes so that they naturally fall asleep at 11:00 pm and naturally waken at 8:00 am. Teenagers ideally need 9.25 hours of sleep per night. Two-thirds of high school students report getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation in Teens Decreased concentration and cognitive performance Decreased motor performance and increased risk of auto accidents Increased risk of depression, substance abuse and obesity

Benefits of Starting School Later Higher grades and standardized test scores Less tardiness Greater attendance Better mood and behavior among teens Better long-term memory consolidation In those high schools which have shifted to a later start, teens report getting an extra hour of sleep per night

Issues Affected by a Later School Start Bus schedules/possible need for increased number of buses Athletic schedules After school sports and extracurricular practices After school jobs for students Child care arrangements Parent/Teacher commutes Contractual obligations to staff Budget – may require additional funding or cuts to other areas

How have other districts handled this change? Flip flop elementary and high school start times Shift all school start times later by 30 to 60 minutes Add an extra block to the high school schedule so students can choose whether to begin classes at 7:30 am or 8:30 am

GPS Survey on School Start Time To gauge interest in exploring a later start time at GHS To be distributed to parents, teachers and staff before the end of the school May Need to educate community about this issue in advance of the survey

Educate Yourself About This Issue Greenwich PTAC Wellness Committee is sponsoring a panel discussion on May 26 at 7 pm at Central Middle School Auditorium to discuss teen sleep needs and possible impact of changing start times at GHS. Featured panelists: Dr. Marcie Schneider of Greenwich Adolescent Medicine; Lisa Bogan, a parent from Wilton which changed their high school start time in 2002; Dr. McKersie and Dr. Winters

Spread the Word to Your Parents PTA weekly newsletters Friday Folders

Sources “A’s from Zzzz’s? The Causal Effect of School Start Time on the Academic Achievement of Adolescents” by Scott Carroll, Teny Maghakian and James West, American Economic Journal, August 2011 “A’s from Zzzz’s? The Causal Effect of School Start Time on the Academic Achievement of Adolescents” by Scott Carroll, Teny Maghakian and James West, American Economic Journal, August 2011 “Synchronizing Education to Adolescent Biology: Let Teens Sleep, Start School Later” by Paul Kelley, Steven Lockley, Russell Foster and Jonathan Kelley, Learning, Media and Technology, August 2014 “Synchronizing Education to Adolescent Biology: Let Teens Sleep, Start School Later” by Paul Kelley, Steven Lockley, Russell Foster and Jonathan Kelley, Learning, Media and Technology, August 2014 “Let Them Sleep: AAP Recommends Delaying Start Times of Middle and High School to Combat Teen Sleep Deprivation”, American Academy of Pediatrics, August 2014 “Let Them Sleep: AAP Recommends Delaying Start Times of Middle and High School to Combat Teen Sleep Deprivation”, American Academy of Pediatrics, August 2014 Wahlstrom, K., Dretzke, B., Gordon, M., Peterson, K., Edwards, K., & Gdula, J. (2014). Examining the Impact of Later School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study. Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. St Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Wahlstrom, K., Dretzke, B., Gordon, M., Peterson, K., Edwards, K., & Gdula, J. (2014). Examining the Impact of Later School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study. Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. St Paul, MN: University of Minnesota