Lower Merion School District Healthy School Start Time

LMSD should follow the AAP guidelines

Later start times for older kids is ideal.

Later start times lead to rested teens who are ready to learn!

LMSD needs to continue to demonstrate that they are a progressive school district. The need for later start times is more than well supported by the literature, by leading national child health advocates, and has been implemented in many progressive public school districts nationwide. We cannot play catch up.

We should trust the science and delay start times.

A critical issue. As a community we have waited to see what others will do long enough. Now is the time to make the change.

This is a very important initiative that will improve our children’s quality of life, mood, grades and can save lives by avoiding sleepy teenage drivers. The question isn’t if we should do this but how.

We need to change the middle school and high school start times closer to the AAP's recommended guideline of 830 am.

Please start high school LATER.

Please prioritize the health of our middle and high school students by changing the school start times to comply with the medical community recommended guidelines!!

I have young children who would benefit from this as well as a teen child for whom I can see this would be beneficial. It benefits the whole district.

The research has been out there, and we have been dragging our feet. For too long in taking action. It is time to get this done!!

My children have already graduated, but I know changing to the recommended start times would have been beneficial to them.

T

The research is clear, teenagers' sleep patterns are changing, and later starting times benefit them (and thus their parents). Sleep depravation is indeed dangerous to the overall health of teenagers, and a change in school start time truly overdue. If Merion wants to remain a competitive school district, it need to take care of its students.

I completely agree with shifting school start times in LMSD so younger kids start earlier & our teens have a later start.

Please make this change!

I agree.

Later start dates are important to the health of our children.

My high school students needed to nap in the afternoon because they were tired from waking up early. Napping interferes with their sleep schedules, but without it students cannot focus on homework at night. Then they can't get to sleep by 11 pm because they've napped in the afternoon. It's a vicious cycle. Later start times would allow students to sleep later in the morning, make it through the day without napping and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Their academic performance would improve. It's a no brainer.