Hitting snooze on school start times

California last week became the first state in the country to mandate later school start times in an attempt to alleviate the effects of chronic sleep deprivation for teens.

Starting July 1, 2022, high schools in the state must start at 8:30 a.m. or later, and middle schools may not begin before 8 a.m. The move aligns California’s schools with the prevailing recommendations of all the major medical associations.

Numerous studies show the natural circadian rhythms of teenagers favor later nights and wake-up times, but the nation’s schools routinely start their days on average before 8 a.m., often shortchanging adolescents of the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep.

“We think of it as almost a joke, that teenagers are always crabby in the morning and they stay up way too late,” said Celia Jaffe, president of the California State PTA. She described how the new law would help teens reap the benefits of some extra shut-eye: “It’s better for their mental health, it reduces depression and other mental health problems.”

Sleep-deprived teens have a higher risk of depression, obesity, suicidal thoughts, substance use, and even traffic accidents, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports. One study conducted in Lexington, Ky., showed a more than 16 percent decrease in teen traffic accidents after schools delayed their start times by one hour.

The national nonprofit group Start School Later called later start times a public health issue and said the state had a compelling interest in promoting healthy behavior in teens that affect the communities where they live. The advocacy group likens mandating later start times to protecting children from lead paint or educating them on the dangers of smoking.

But skeptics remain unconvinced of the law’s benefits, citing concerns with transportation, after-school athletic events running past daylight hours, equity issues for impoverished areas, and parents’ work constraints.

“Often working families have strict schedules with less work flexibility, and they won’t always be able to accommodate them in a way that’s necessary to make late start times work,” said Troy Flint, spokesman for the California School Boards Association.

The new law does not affect certain rural schools or popular “zero period” before-school activities like band. It also contains a waiver option for local districts with extenuating circumstances that would make later start times overly burdensome.

Chicago school strike continues

Thousands of Chicago’s teachers and support staff used the fifth day of their strike on Wednesday to protest outside City Hall during a budget address by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Earlier this week, the mayor, who is a Democrat, appealed to the city’s teachers union to end the strike and return to work even without a settled contract. Students who have continued to show up for school during the work stoppage have faced a skeleton crew of administrators and nonunion employees whose primary goals are to provide a safe space and ensure the students receive breakfast and lunch.

Parents of more than 300,000 students have kept their children out of school, asking relatives and neighbors for childcare or using one of the numerous “strike camps” that have popped up. Many local organizations like the YMCA and Salvation Army have opened free temporary drop-in programs as well.

The Chicago Teachers Union said its teachers would not return to the classroom without further progress on negotiations, but union President Jesse Sharkey said the strike could end this week. The union and district are fighting over class sizes, salaries, and staffing levels for nurses, librarians, social workers, and other support personnel. —L.E.

School shooting victim defamed

A jury in Wisconsin last week awarded $450,000 to the father of a boy killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The judge ruled a book written by James Fetzer and Mike Palecek defamed the man, Leonard Pozner, by claiming the shooting never occurred and the death certificate for Pozner’s 6-year-old son, Noah, was a fabrication.

Conspiracy theorists have argued the government faked the shooting to force tighter gun restrictions. They have also harassed other parents and relatives of the shooting’s 26 victims. Pozner thanked the jury “for recognizing the pain and terror that Mr. Fetzer has purposefully inflicted on me and on other victims of these horrific mass casualty events, like the Sandy Hook shooting.”

Fetzer vowed to appeal, but co-author Palecek settled out of court last month under undisclosed terms. —L.E.

Crossing guard surprise

A school crossing guard got the surprise of his life earlier this month when more than 100 people showed up at his post to wish him a happy 80th birthday. With signs, balloons, cookies, and gifts, the community of current and former students, neighbors, and families celebrated Alec Childress and thanked him for being a positive influencer.

The iconic neighborhood helper expressed gratitude for the daily interactions he has.

“The love that I receive on that corner? You just can’t buy it,” Childress told CNN. —L.E.