Sleep-Friendly Schools: Massachusetts To Delay Start Of School Day To Let Students Get Healthier Sleep

Sleep-friendly schools are growing in number in Massachusetts as an effort to reduce students' failing grades and suspensions. In the past weeks, more than three school districts in the state revealed plans to delay the start of the school day to let students get healthier sleep.

Pushing Back Start Times in School

Huffington Post reports that last week, Easton district has announced that its schools will be joining the growing number of sleep-friendly schools in Massachusetts. The district is set to extend its high school and middle school start time by up to 55 minutes next fall. Melrose, Canton, and Ashland school districts have also announced recently that they are taking the same step by moving the start of the school day for high school students to after 8 a.m.

Moreover, superintendents of the Middlesex League also made a historic move recently after they signed a joint statement to delay start times beginning fall 2018. The Northborough/Southborough regional school district is also currently persuading the 10 other school districts in the Assabet Valley Collaborative to join the increasing number of sleep-friendly school districts in Massachusetts.

Healthier Sleep Could Improve Performance

With the move, school districts are giving students a chance to get healthier sleep. Officials are hoping that it will reduce failing grades, suspensions and tardiness among students.

Mary Hamaker, chapter leader of the nonprofit Start School Later, said that the growing number of sleep-friendly schools in Massachusetts is due to the active participation of parents and school officials. She explained that more and more people are cooperating with Start School Later in initiating conversation about the change of school start time in their towns.

Sleep Deprivation At A Young Age

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 85 percent of middle and high schools in the U.S. have start times that are too early. These have deprived students from getting healthier sleep during school nights.

Too-early school hours may lead to various health and well-being problems to the sleep-deprived students. Studies in the past have showed that sleep-friendly schools could lessen the number of students suffering depression, abusing substance, using caffeine and engaging in car accidents.