The Mercury News – Editorial
“California middle schools and high schools need to get serious about scheduling their first classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The average start time for California schools is 8:07 a.m., which is nearly 30 minutes earlier than recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatricians. It may not seem like a big deal, but a study of more than 12,000 students found that roughly two-thirds get less than the recommended eight hours of sleep each night. The CDC has conclusive evidence that teens who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, fail to engage regularly in physical activity, suffer from depression and perform poorly in the classroom.”(more)