MCPS Board and Superintendent, Please Wake Up to the Need for Healthier Secondary School Start Times!

Supporter

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

PLEASE DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My child hates school

The evidence is clear. Teens need more sleep, and the extra hour is crucial to their physical and mental well-being.

STUDENTS DESERVE RESPECT, ESPECIALLY RESPECT TOWARDS THEIR HEALTH

Schools starting this early is genuinely affecting our mobility and comprehension for our earlier classes

MCPS student - I AGREE!!

Let’s aim to make smart start times for our teens. Bus schedules can accommodate this if elementary starts earlier

I support later start times and urge the Board to pay attention to the evidence-based data on the importance of sleep and it's relationship with performance for middle and high school kids.

Son is in 7th grade

I support this petition and hope reasonable start times will be implemented by the time my daughter is in middle/high school.

I signed the first petition 12 years ago, Montgomery County has dragged their feet and not gotten much closer in that time. They use the excuse of being one of the largest school districts in the country, yet it was implemented in the state of California in 2022, and they have the second largest school district in the country. The state of Florida also passed a law to implement the later start time, and they have several school districts much larger than Montgomery County. We need to replace the entire school board. Lyn Harris wants to waste time and money doing more studies. She says she is for a later school time, but will not do anything to make it happen.

Absolutely agree with later secondary school start times!

It makes only sense to make the earlier children come in earlier and have the teens come in later. Teens get up later and this causes chronic absenteeism. Children are up earlier and it is easier to get them in school faster and happier. They also get to end their day earlier and get home and settled into their evening routine. It seems everything is being done backwards. It only makes sense to get the younger children back home earlier and earlier to school. I'm a mom of 3 grown kids and one still in highschool.

Absolutely! 9 am would be even better. And no need for 7 periods — 5 or 6 is plenty. And one day should be for homework - progressive schools show it works great.

School start times are hurting our kids! Something has to change.

Follow the research …. Kids who are sleep deprived can not perform to their potential

I was disappointed when the previous effort to move school start times back did not result in much change.

I'm a public health researcher. If MCPS says they care about mental health (and evidence-based research), you need to consider sleep, the science of developing teens, and reconsider start times.

I hope you will do more than just study the problem. Please take action for the health of teens.