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Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal |
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School Board to Create Study Circles to Discuss TTF Recommendations,
Will NOT Hold June Town Hall Meetings
The School Board decided at a recent Work Session to create small “study circles” to discuss the TTF recommendations on bell schedules. In doing so, the Board decided against the larger public Town Hall meetings it had tentatively agreed to hold in June.
A Board committee is working on the details of the study circles, intended to reach out especially to parents coming fresh to the topic.
In the meantime, Transportation staff will work on a detailed bell schedule that follows the TTF recommendations and estimate costs, if any. Those results are expected by August.
MSNVA, FEA Teacher Survey, Sleep Researchers Support Later Start Times
The Board of the Medical Society of Northern Virginia (MSNVA) voted unanimously in March on the following: “ RESOLVED That the Medical Society of Northern Virginia shall encourage the Fairfax County Public School System to implement a strategy to improve adolescent sleep health that may involve later school start times in all area secondary schools and high schools.”
A similar resolution in Minnesota was the beginning of the national movement toward later start times, starting with Minneapolis and Edina, MN. We are very appreciative of the MSNVA support for later high school start times. In considering the Resolution, the MSNVA took into account research showing that teens don’t get enough sleep, that many fall asleep in class or miss class from oversleeping, that sleep deprivation is linked to a number of serious physical and emotional health problems and that later start times have been shown to improve school attendence, enrollment, daytime alertness and depression rates.
The Fairfax Education Association, the largest Fairfax County teachers’ organization, polled its members on their opinion about school start times in February 2008. More than 2,300 members responded, the most of any FEA survey, and more than 750 comments were received. Conclusion: 79% believe Fairfax high schools start too early. Many of the comments were passionate on the subject. To see full results, click here:
The nation’s top sleep researchers met in Washington, D.C. in March 2008 for a conference on The Role of Sleep in Memory and Learning. Among “Messages to the Public” at the conclusion of the conference:
- Adequate sleep will help you learn, retain and fully understand new material.
- “Changes in sleep and circadian regulation occurring in adolescence are inconsistent with optimal learning when morning school start times are too early (before 8:30 -9am).”
Supervisors Ask Staff to Craft Sleep Questions for Youth Risk Survey
SLEEP Co-Founders Phyllis Payne and Sandy Evans spoke before the Board of Supervisors at budget hearings in April to ask for support for the later start time effort and to outline low-cost ways the BOS could help.
The BOS, at the request of Supervisor Penny Gross with the support of Chairman Connolly, asked staff to help craft questions to add to the next Youth Risk Survey to assess teen sleep habits and drowsy driving.
Help Take Bell Schedule Recommendations to Your School
SLEEP has produced some information sheets to help members discuss proposed bell schedule changes at their PTA meetings and other school events. Getting accurate information out to the public is an important way you can help the later start time effort. SLEEP participated in the Transportation Task Force and supports its recommendations for new bell schedules as a viable compromise. More community feedback and refinement is the next step.
Please see our Information Sheet, "Support Later Start Times for High School Students": with discussions on:
Phyllis’s Speech To Board of Supervisors
Sandy’s Speech To Board of Supervisors