MCPS Board and Superintendent, Please Wake Up to the Need for Healthier Secondary School Start Times!
MCPS Board and Superintendent, Please Wake Up to the Need for Healthier Secondary School Start Times!
SIGN THE PETITION FOR APPROPRIATE MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL START TIMES!
MCPS Board and Superintendent,
Montgomery County, Maryland middle and high school students deserve safe and healthy start times which are directly related to student health. We can achieve these gains simply by implementing a bell time change for secondary schools to begin at 8:30 a.m. or later, as recommended by nearly every medical group in the country. States and school districts across the country are already making this change, yet MCPS continues to ignore the need. The science is clear, during adolescent years, teens need 8 – 10 hours of sleep per night, yet their onset of sleep often doesn’t occur until approximately 11:00 pm. It's time to make this change!
Psychology Today: Teen Sleep: Why It Matters and How We Can Help -January 2, 2024 Sleep is critical for teens’ health: Moving school start times can help
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-the-roo...
“… Most teens are not getting the sleep they need (at least 8 hours of sleep per night) for their health. Helping teens get the sleep they need can improve academic outcomes, physical health and mental health”
New York Times: California Becomes First State to Move Back School Start Times – July 13, 2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/us/california-later-school-start-times.html
“… California legislators passed a first-of-its-kind law requiring that public high schools begin classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m., and that middle schools start no earlier than 8 a.m. The law officially went into effect on July 1.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2022/01/18/kids-teens-more-sleep/
“…another piece that plays an important factor in teen mental health, especially now: sleep and its role in boosting mental health and emotional resiliency.”
Education Week: Teens Need to Start School Later. No More Excuses, Experts Say – August 15, 2023
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/teens-need-to-st...
“…despite well-documented and publicized research in favor of later school start times for adolescents and teens, countless districts resist the change…..”
Like our Facebook page to receive updates https://www.facebook.com/SSLMontgomeryCountyMD
https://www.startschoollater.net/md---montgomery-county.html
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 4, 2025
Reached 500 supporters
January 24, 2024
January 23, 2024
The exhaustion is setting in for all of us as this drags on but we are almost at five hundred signatures. Please send this link to someone who needs to see the medical reality of our current school schedule. We have to keep this pressure on the board until they finally listen.
Reached 100 supporters
January 20, 2024
192 Comments
As the parent of two current MCPS HS students, I can attest firsthand how a later HS start time would be extremely beneficial to my students. If the main issue is the bus matrix, why not swap elementary school start times with high school’s?
I am dreading my daughter having to go to school so early when she reaches high school in 1.5 years. Please follow the evidence and change the start times. I am afraid I will have to take her out of MCPS to give her a healthier learning environment.
I can do really well at school if it weren’t for the classes so early in the morning, that my brain can’t comprehend what’s going on. Students are sleeping in their classes due to lack of sleep, we need sleep to learn and we need sleep for a healthy body and healthy brain.
This is a public health issue. Adolescents need more sleep for healthy development and aren't able to sleep early. Either switch the start times of elementary and high school, or invest in more buses and drivers. Other jurisdictions manage to do this. There's no reason Montgomery County can't.
I am parent of 2 adolescent MCPS students and a pediatrician. American Academy of Pediatrics has advocated for sleep and school times for children to be aligned with the scientific evidence. It is time we put our children on firm foundation for learning success and healthy well being.
It is about time our students' health and safety became the priority! Start time is a medical intervention supported by all the pediatric health organizations - let's go MCPS!
WE hate school
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Copy link or share directly
MCPS Board and Superintendent, Please Wake Up to the Need for Healthier Secondary School Start Times!
MCPS Board and Superintendent, Please Wake Up to the Need for Healthier Secondary School Start Times!
SIGN THE PETITION FOR APPROPRIATE MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL START TIMES!
MCPS Board and Superintendent,
Montgomery County, Maryland middle and high school students deserve safe and healthy start times which are directly related to student health. We can achieve these gains simply by implementing a bell time change for secondary schools to begin at 8:30 a.m. or later, as recommended by nearly every medical group in the country. States and school districts across the country are already making this change, yet MCPS continues to ignore the need. The science is clear, during adolescent years, teens need 8 – 10 hours of sleep per night, yet their onset of sleep often doesn’t occur until approximately 11:00 pm. It's time to make this change!
Psychology Today: Teen Sleep: Why It Matters and How We Can Help -January 2, 2024 Sleep is critical for teens’ health: Moving school start times can help
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-the-roo...
“… Most teens are not getting the sleep they need (at least 8 hours of sleep per night) for their health. Helping teens get the sleep they need can improve academic outcomes, physical health and mental health”
New York Times: California Becomes First State to Move Back School Start Times – July 13, 2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/us/california-later-school-start-times.html
“… California legislators passed a first-of-its-kind law requiring that public high schools begin classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m., and that middle schools start no earlier than 8 a.m. The law officially went into effect on July 1.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2022/01/18/kids-teens-more-sleep/
“…another piece that plays an important factor in teen mental health, especially now: sleep and its role in boosting mental health and emotional resiliency.”
Education Week: Teens Need to Start School Later. No More Excuses, Experts Say – August 15, 2023
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/teens-need-to-st...
“…despite well-documented and publicized research in favor of later school start times for adolescents and teens, countless districts resist the change…..”
Like our Facebook page to receive updates https://www.facebook.com/SSLMontgomeryCountyMD
https://www.startschoollater.net/md---montgomery-county.html
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 4, 2025
Reached 500 supporters
January 24, 2024
January 23, 2024
The exhaustion is setting in for all of us as this drags on but we are almost at five hundred signatures. Please send this link to someone who needs to see the medical reality of our current school schedule. We have to keep this pressure on the board until they finally listen.
Reached 100 supporters
January 20, 2024
192 Comments
As a former MCPS student I got ~4.5hrs of sleep each weeknight, I can't believe how little progress has been made in the past 15 years. It scarred me so much that I still believe it's the most important issue facing our students today.
As the parent of two current MCPS HS students, I can attest firsthand how a later HS start time would be extremely beneficial to my students. If the main issue is the bus matrix, why not swap elementary school start times with high school’s?
I am dreading my daughter having to go to school so early when she reaches high school in 1.5 years. Please follow the evidence and change the start times. I am afraid I will have to take her out of MCPS to give her a healthier learning environment.
I can do really well at school if it weren’t for the classes so early in the morning, that my brain can’t comprehend what’s going on. Students are sleeping in their classes due to lack of sleep, we need sleep to learn and we need sleep for a healthy body and healthy brain.
This is a public health issue. Adolescents need more sleep for healthy development and aren't able to sleep early. Either switch the start times of elementary and high school, or invest in more buses and drivers. Other jurisdictions manage to do this. There's no reason Montgomery County can't.
I am parent of 2 adolescent MCPS students and a pediatrician. American Academy of Pediatrics has advocated for sleep and school times for children to be aligned with the scientific evidence. It is time we put our children on firm foundation for learning success and healthy well being.
It is about time our students' health and safety became the priority! Start time is a medical intervention supported by all the pediatric health organizations - let's go MCPS!
WE hate school
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 1,500 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept iPetitions Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
As a former MCPS student I got ~4.5hrs of sleep each weeknight, I can't believe how little progress has been made in the past 15 years. It scarred me so much that I still believe it's the most important issue facing our students today.