#Roommates, remember back in the day when it was so hard to get up for school in the morning because it was so early? Well the state of California has officially given students extra time to get their sleep because they just pushed back the start times of local schools.
Middle school and high school students are now required to report to school about 30 minutes later than normal, the new law is said to improve student performance by helping them get more sleep, as reported by @People. Governor Gavin Newsom passed the law over the weekend, formally known as Senate Bill 328.
California is the first state in the country to pass such a law. Under the new mandate, California middle schools can open no earlier than 8 A.M. and high schools must open at 8:30 A.M. or later. A previous analysis of California schools found that the average start time for middle school and high school students was 8:07 A.M. and many schools required students to arrive by 7:30 A.M.
State Sen. Anthony Portantino, who authored the bill, praised Governor Newsom’s decision, saying:
“Newsom displayed a heartwarming and discerning understanding of the importance of objective research and exercised strong leadership as he put our children’s health and welfare ahead of institutional bureaucracy resistant to change. Generations of children will come to appreciate this historic day and our governor for taking bold action. Our children face a public health crisis. Shifting to a later start time will improve academic performance and save lives because it helps our children be healthier.”
However, while many are applauding the new law, there are definitely harsh critics of the decision—including the California Teachers Association who took issue with new start times “disproportionately” impacting working families:
“We know from experience that many of these parents will drop their children off at school at the same time they do now, regardless of whether there is supervision, and there is not enough funding from the state for before school programs to ensure the safety of students who will be dropped off early.”
Optional early classes will not be affected by the new law, and schools located in rural parts of the state can still set their own start times. California school districts have until July 2022 to begin implementing the new times.
Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?
