May 22, 2014
Dear Parent Teacher
Association/Organization,
As many of you are aware, Acting
Superintendent Mamie Perkins has chartered a task force that is reviewing the
start times for all of our schools, with a report due to Superintendent Arlotto
in September. Start School Later’s director, Heather Macintosh, is a task force
member. Our effort is paralleled by many school districts, including
neighboring Howard and Montgomery Counties. Additionally, Governor O’Malley has
signed a bill to create a task force to examine the issue. U.S. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan has repeatedly tweeted in support of later school
start times as a “common sense” measure.
A huge body of public safety,
social, and scientific evidence supports the concept of teens starting school
later than the current start time of 7:17. Researchers now know that
teenage body rhythms shift, resulting in later sleep onset. Later start times result
in more sleep, not in later bedtimes. New research also shows that depression
goes down, car crashes go down, tardies go down, and attendance and grades
increase significantly when high schools start later.
We are adamant that any solution
to unacceptably early high school start times does NOT sacrifice healthy and
safe hours for elementary and middle schoolers in Anne Arundel County. We
advocate for a solution that has NO students starting school before 8 am.
At the most recent AACPS Board
Meeting we asked for a small, good-faith step: a delay of 10-15 minutes, at no
cost, and without impacting any other school schedules, for HIGH SCHOOL ONLY.
We ask for this change for the upcoming school year. Voicing your support to
the Board and Superintendent Arlotto would help.
Schools need to start at a time
that’s optimal for the health, safety and equity of all children; as younger
children move up through the grades, this issue will eventually confront every
family in our district – this is why we’re reaching out to parent-teacher
associations throughout the county, at all levels.
For more information:
Visit our website: www.startschoollater.net. Find the Myths and
Misconceptions section, visit the Success Stories page, and browse the ample
research addressing all of your concerns.
Sign our Anne Arundel County
Petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/set-8-am-as-the-earliest and our National Petition: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/promote-legislation-to.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=1521139
Call or write the AACPS Board of
Education, MD Department of Health and Human Services, your legislative
representatives
We ask you to please share this
letter with your members. We also welcome your comments, thoughts, and
advice.
Sincerely,
Heather Macintosh & Kari
Oakes, Start School Later Anne Arundel County
