Senator Portantino’s Town Hall Tonight Examines Bill That Lets Students Sleep In Longer On School Days

State Senator Anthony Portantino will hold a town hall meeting at Pasadena City College Thursday to educate parents and the public about the benefits of his proposed Bill that calls for an 8:30 a.m. start time for both middle and high schools statewide.

The public meeting will present Portantino and selected experts on the topic who will provide an in depth discussion on Senate Bill 328, which Portantino says will improve areas such as student attendance rates and grade point averages and is backed by data provided by school districts that have implemented this change in recent times.

“When the research came to my attention last year, I started to look into the issue and I saw that with all of the education issues out there and with all of the education reform efforts, this is the one piece where there is complete and total unanimity and consensus based on both the public health aspects of what’s in the best interest of teenagers as well as what helps academic and social performance for high school and middle school students,” said Portantino.

This topic of concern came to light to Portantino after he discovered media reports about the issue and then researched to better understand it.

“To me, this is a ‘no brainer’. We know it works because the results are there,” said Portantino.

In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA) issued a policy statement advising school districts to change the school day start time to no earlier than 8:30 am, specifically for middle schools and high schools. Studies have confirmed that insufficient sleep in teenage adolescents poses a public health risk and has an adverse effect on academic success.

“Chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is one of the most common – and easily fixable – public health issues in the U.S. today,” said pediatrician Judith Owen, lead author of the policy statement, “School Start Times for Adolescents,” published in the September 2014 issue of Pediatrics.

“The research is clear that adolescents who get enough sleep have a reduced risk of being overweight or suffering depression, are less likely to be involved in automobile accidents, and have better grades, higher standardized test scores and an overall better quality of life,” Dr. Owens said. “Studies have shown that delaying early school start times is one key factor that can help adolescents get the sleep they need to grow and learn.”

According to the APA, reports on school districts who have adopted this policy have found increased attendance rates, grade point averages, state assessment scores, college admission test scores, student attention, and student and family interaction. Additionally, studies also found decreases in student involved car accidents, disciplinary actions, and decrease in student sleeping during lectures.

“I was intrigued and excited by the data and the research and to find out that basically this is a public health issue that has a positive educational outcome,” said Portantino. “It’s irresponsible of us not to go down this path and use the science and the data to do what’s in the best interest of our children’s health,” Portantino added.

Currently, California has over 3 million public middle and high school students. The average school day start time for these students is 8:07 am according to the Center for Disease and Control. California school districts would benefit with later school day start times as funding is tied to attendance.

“We are definitely open to the latest and best practices and research and we want to do right by our students. If we have to change how we approach it then that is something we will do,” said Pasadena Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Secondary Education Dr. Marisa Sarian.

The Los Angeles Unified School District estimated by improving the current attendance rate by just 1%, the district would gain an additional $40 million per year which could be re-invested in California student’s educational growth.

“There’s been a great deal of discussion that i have heard from parents that are looking to have schools start later so children can sleep in a little more,” said Pasadena City College Professor of Child Development Education and Special Education and La Cañada School Board Member Kaitzer Puglia.

“I don’t necessarily know of any opposition, but there are definitely questions and logistical types of questions that have come up as to how we can address this issue, how we can make sure that this is done and meet all the different constituent group’s needs,” said Puglia.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, groups seeking to delay school start times in their district often face resistance.

Common barriers to delaying school start times include concerns about increased transportation costs because of changes in bus schedules, potential for traffic congestion for students and faculty, difficulty in scheduling after-school activities, especially athletic programs, and lack of education in some communities about the importance of sleep and school start times.

“If everybody is on the same schedule, then there is no challenge. All of the arguments against this are adult-based logistical arguments, not student, child-based public health arguments,” said Portantino.

Portantino will be accompanied by selected experts and researchers to share data with the public.

“They’re going to present some of the research and the data directly and have a dialogue with the public. To me, this is one of those things where the more people know, the more they’re excited about it so I want to get the research and data front and center and have people come in and hear for themselves why this is in the best interest of their kids,” said Portantino.

California State PTA has adopted a Support, If Amended position on SB328 and is working with the Senator’s office on addressing concerns.

The Town Hall meeting hosted by Senator Anthony Portantino will take place Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Pasadena City College’s Creveling Lounge located at 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.

The event is free.

For more information call 818-409-0400 or click visit sd25.senate.ca.gov/.