Central Ohio districts, advocates consider adjusted school schedules

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – Gahanna Lincoln High School students will start classes a bit later this year — one hour later, to be exact.

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools adjusted its start times this year after examining research about older students’ performance when they can sleep in, according to the district’s public information coordinator, Erick Starkey. Start and end times at all grade levels have been adjusted, and Starkey specifically pointed to the high school’s new start time being an hour later.

“This allows our high school students to sleep an hour later, while also maintaining the opportunity to participate in afterschool clubs and athletics,” Starkey said.

According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, most teenagers average between seven and seven hours and 15 minutes of sleep, despite needing nine hours and 15 minutes each night. Nationwide Children’s resources said sleep deprivation affects teens’ moods, behavior, cognitive abilities, academic performance and safety when driving.

Franklin County public high schools have an average start time of 7:55 a.m. Groveport Madison high schoolers and Reynoldsburg High School’s Summit Campus both start at 7:15 a.m., the earliest in the county. Reynoldsburg also has the latest public start time, with its Livingston campus beginning at 8:45 a.m. A district spokesperson said this is to adjust for busing.

Stacy Simera is passionate about kids getting the sleep they need. She is an Ohio volunteer with Start Schools Later, a nonprofit organization made up of educators, health professionals and other stakeholders who are committed to promoting later start times for public schools. Simera is also a clinical social worker, mother and chair of the Sleep Committee with Ohio Adolescent Health Partnership.

“It’s public health. It’s kids,” Simera said. “We want kids to be safe, healthy and productive.”

Simera explained when people are going through puberty the human body secretes melatonin, the sleep hormone, at a later time. She said while young children and adults with fully developed brains secrete melatonin around 9 p.m., teenagers who are still affected by this adjusted sleep cycle do not secrete melatonin until 10:30 or 11 p.m.

“That’s why teenagers are wired to stay up later,” Simera said. “It’s not because they’re on electronics all the time. Not that the electronics help, but it’s just a biological phenomenon.”

Some point toward concerns about transportation or afterschool programs when later start times are brought up. Pickerington Local School District is requesting feedback from parents and community members this year after an initial attempt to change start times drew concerns early this year.

Pickerington school board member Mark Hensen said many initial concerns with time changes had to do with after school activities, busing and schedule disruption.

Simera said adjusting start times does not require drastic changes in end times, and said she’s seen districts be creative in how they adjust to accommodate student sleep needs and extracurriculars.

“Smart coaches know if their athletes get healthier sleep, they have fewer sports injuries and they usually perform better,” Simera said.

Regarding transportation, Starkey said Gahanna schools’ new start times actually allowed the district to improve busing and make it more efficient. Simera added transportation is part of the original issue with student sleep. She explained if a school starts at 7:30 a.m., it may not sound too early. However, she said as students have to be ready and fed before getting on the bus – which takes time in itself – the day starts much earlier than when the first bell rings.

Districts are not the only ones implementing changes. In Florida and California, state legislation requires schools to start at or later than 8:30 a.m. for high school students and 8 a.m. for middle school students.

In 2019, Ohio State Senator Sandra Williams proposed a bill prohibiting public schools from starting before 8:30 a.m. However, there has not been movement on the bill since its first committee hearing in February 2020. Williams ended her term in 2022, but Simera encouraged lawmakers to revisit the bill.

“We need a few Ohio senators or representatives to step up and be the hero and introduce legislation like Florida and California did,” Simera said. “I will be more than happy to help any of those heroes if they want to introduce that kind of legislation.”

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