Lower Merion School District Healthy School Start Time

As a parent and child/adolescent psychologist, I have seen over and over again the added stress that teens experience as a result of insufficient sleep. The research is clear, and our kids deserve to be well-rested when they arrive at school in the morning. Please make this change.

No school should start before 8:30am The switch of start time for middle and high schoolers should NOT happen at the expense of the students of another age group.

I support this plan.

I support later school start times for high school

Time to catch up with a vast majority of other school districts who recognized the benefits of a later school start time.

Please change the school start time. Teenagers need more sleep and perform better later in the morning. Let's help them do their best.

This is long overdue.

As a psychologist and a parent, I have experienced firsthand how insufficient sleep can contribute to mood dysregulation, depression and poor academic performance. Our district should be among the leaders in the movement for later school start times for highschoolers! Working past the logistical challenges will be so worthwhile.

You do not have to be a scientist to see that early start for our middle and high schoolers is taking a huge toll on health, safety, and learning of our children. If most adults go to work at 9:00am (my office even moved to flexible work hours so you can come between 9-10), why do our children start at 7:00am??? There has been no benefits shown to this early start. You are certainly not telling us that staggering school buses to save cost is a benefit. Please move start time to late so that we have happy, healthy and productive generations to come.

I am baffled as to why this change has not been implemented yet. The science is clear and numerous other districts have found ways to make the change. Just because something is difficult doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. Our children's well-being should be the district's primary concern.

The scientific evidence is clear as is the solution to this problem. How can we continue to be one of the best school districts in the nation without responding to the evidence and doing what many other school districts have already done? We say our children are our priority - its time to let your actions speak louder. Please implement the changes necessary to allow a later start to the high school day.

The science is clear. Please act in the best interest of the LMSD adolescent students and their physical and social-emotional needs.

Please approve delaying start time for LM high schools. It’s absolutely necessary. My son only gets 6.5-7 hrs of sleep. He can’t go to sleep earlier, we tried. Why make them suffer if there’s scientific evidence that kids need more sleep and we need to do everything we can to help them.

It is unconscionable that the leaders in the school community have not yet taken action on what the CDC has described as a public health crisis. The knowledge that this is a problem has been around for about 25 years.

I am a pediatrician, an LMSD graduate, and a parent of 2 elementary students at Cynwyd. I would love to see LMSD not fall further behind in this national trend to acknowledge science and research to benefit the health and education of our children and community.

Please allow teenagers to sleep later in the morning to perform better in school.

I'm sure if other school districts can sort out the logistics to make this happen then LMSD can also manage it. Let's use the research that we have and help out students do better and feel better

It is time to stop talking and just do it. The science is clear. If other districts can figure it out we can too.

They are sleepwalking and let’s not forget the weight they are carrying on their back(pack)s. He is tired everyday until lunch. A top notch school must consider the overall well being of the students, otherwise we are NOT setting them up for success. Lack of sleep makes everything harder.

Crucial to the health and well being of our students!