To improve kids’ mental health, some schools across the U.S. are starting later

Upper Darby High School students Rayan Hansali, from left, Tanveer Kaur, Elise Olmstead, Fatima Afrani, Joey Ngo and Ata Ollah, talk in the campus courtyard, on April 12, 2023, in Drexel Hill, Pa.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve been much happier in the mornings,” Doulat said. “I’ve been more positive, and I’ve come to school smiling more rather than, you know, grudging out of bed and stuff like that at 7:30.” During the pandemic, soaring numbers of high school students expressed persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, with girls and LGBTQ+ youth reporting the highest levels of poor mental health and suicide attempts. It doesn’t help that research suggests middle and high school students aren’t getting enough sleep.

A student arrives for class at Upper Darby High School, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Drexel Hill, Pa. For some schools, the pandemic allowed experimentation to try new schedules. Large school systems including Denver, Philadelphia and Anchorage, Alaska, have been looking into later start times. At Upper Darby High, the school day technically still begins at 7:30 a.m., with students assigned coursework to be done remotely that ties into their lessons for the day.

Upper Darby High School student Fatima Afrani, 15, pauses while speaking with a reporter during an interview in the campus courtyard, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Drexel Hill, Pa. “It was sometimes a 60-minute concentrated instructional time. But then there was time to write. There was time to read. There was time to view a video,” he said.

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To improve kids' mental health, some schools start laterThe idea of later school start times, pushed by many over the years as a way to help adolescents get more sleep, is getting a new look as a way to address the mental health crisis affecting teens across the U.S. Nationally, at least nine states are considering legislation related to school start times, up from four the previous year, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. For some schools, the pandemic allowed experimentation to try new schedules. Large school systems including Denver, Philadelphia and Anchorage, Alaska, have been looking into later start times.
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