HB184

? I presented this to the board in 2021. Superintendent David Ryan said he had no interest in making later start times a priority at the that time and the board focused money on DEI and SEL. Dear Board members, I want to thank you for adding later school start times to the agenda. My husband and I have the blessing of raising four beautiful children. I’m the oldest of five children and when I had my first baby I asked my father for some advice on raising our daughter. His advice was, “love her like crazy and make sure that you say “yes” as many times as you can, but when you say “no”mean it! And always remember that children flourish when you set the tone and give them boundaries.”The older I become the more I realize the importance of his words. WE, you and I, the adults in this room are the ones to set the tone to give children boundaries where they can flourish. I know when my children are struggling or melting down there are two critical things that I ask myself and this is true whether they’re 3 days, 3 months, or 13 years old. My first question is always, “Did they get enough sleep? The second question is, did they eat enough food?” We need to support children’s basics needs in order to have positive outcomes. it is unacceptable that my middle school children have to wait for a bus in New England at 6:25 AM. CMS’s 7:10 AM start is one of the earliest in the nation. The research by the CDC and the AAP both state;; There are no other school-based interventions known to have such positive impacts on such a broad range of outcomes for children than an 8:30 or later school start time. The AAP states, “adolescence who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not engage in physical activity, suffer from depression, engage in unhealthy risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking tobacco using drugs and perform poorly in school.“ -Considerable evidence reveals that unhealthy early start times contribute to teen mental health problems, including ideas of suicide, anxiety, depression, and impulsive behaviors. It is worth noting that after the tragedy at Sandy Hook School, the district took a long hard look at what might improve student mental health. One of the first changes they made was to implement healthier (later) start times. In addition to impacts on mental health, early start times also leads to greater numbers of teen car accidents and school sports injuries. When schools move to healthier, later start times, academic outcomes improve, graduation rates go up, and truancy goes down. Again, There are no other school-based interventions that are known to have impacts on such a broad range of positive outcomes. - Keene is the largest SAU with the same situation that we have at SST, however, they recognized the immediate need to protect children’s mental health and physical health in the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. Superintendent Robert Malay sent parents a letter announcing the official later start times. He stated; “While it is understood that the changes may create challenges for some families, the overall benefits this shift will provide to our student learners is too significant to ignore.” My prayer is that if SAU16 takes a stand, other schools will follow suit! I always tell my children, if you stand up for the right things in life the right things will happen! Keene is not the only district that has recently made this change, many schools in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts have also recently made time adjustments to benefit children during the Coronavirus pandemic. Andover Chairperson Susan McCready stated, “Throughout the pandemic, we heard from many students, staff and families, expressing concerns about student well-being and mental health. We share in these concerns and today's vote affirms our extensive efforts that puts the focus on students first in Andover Public School policies and operations." There are many things within the school district people do not agree on however, since I started talking about this I am overwhelmed by the amount of parents that have reached out in support of this change. After what kids have been through for the last two years, in my opinion all of the excuses of the past reasons of why later school times couldn’t be done have flown out the window. Many kids are in crisis! This should no longer be about sports or money. The benefits in the research is clear and can no longer be ignored. We have one of the early start times in the nation. My 11 and 13 year old girls have to wake up at 5:20AM to get a bus at 6:24AM. It’s unacceptable. This is the same district that forced masks and prolonged remote learning. You should recognize now more than ever the advantage of giving children the benefit of sleep. It easily can be changed with strong leadership! There are also physical issues of safety with early start times. There has already been two early morning bus accidents this year, one involving a deer and the other one involving slippery roads. We live in New England, it’s dark when they leave and it’s unsafe and we haven’t even turned the clocks back or experienced black ice! The benefits are compelling in my opinion on why we need to make a change to later school start times immediately. With the $70 million budget and thousands of dollars in additional Esser funds, I believe this change is critical. Thank you, Peggy #itcanbedone

Dear Chairman Cordelli and Members of the NH House Education Policy and Administration, I am writing to express my strong support for House Bill 184 that would establish a committee to study changing school start times. Currently, the start time for high school and middle school in my School District (SAU #1, Contoocook Valley) is 7:15 a.m. For several reasons, including those related to health, safety and socioeconomics, I am worried about the negative impacts of early start times on children and families including my own. Foremost, I am concerned that early morning classes negatively affect academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being due to inadequate sleep. Extensive research consistently demonstrates that early school start times directly contradict the natural sleep patterns of adolescents, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. This lack of rest negatively affects their ability to focus in class, retain information, and make healthy decisions. I urge you to prioritize this critical issue and support policies that enable our children to get the sleep they need to thrive. Thank you for your time and consideration. Jill Griffiths

Dear Chairman and Members of the NH House Education Policy and Administration committee, I write as a parent with direct experience with early school start times to strongly support House Bill 184, to establish a committee to study changing school start times. The start time at the high school and middle school in my School District (SAU #1, Contoocook Valley) is 7:15 a.m, an issue that affects both of my school-age children. Research shows that early school start times are counter to the adolescents' health needs, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. This is a health issue that affects the quality of my kids' learning and decision-making, and that of their peers. My daughter, an 8th grader, says, "I'm tired all the time during the week, and I'm not hungry before school, so I skip breakfast." I realize this is a complex issue, and that bus schedules are a factor, but please commit to studying the issue to ensure the best outcome for our children's mental and physical health. Sincerely, Johanna Arnone

I am strongly in favor of this bill

Dear Chairman Cordelli and Members of the NH House Education Policy and Administration, I am writing today to express my strong support for House Bill 184 that would establish a committee to study changing school start times. Currently, the start time for my son's high school and my daughter's middle school in our school district (SAU #1, Contoocook Valley) is 7:15 a.m. I am concerned that the early start times are detrimental to our students for several reasons, including those related to health, safety, as well as academic success. I have seen firsthand the negative impacts of early start times on my children and the other children in our community. In addition, we live in a rural area and many children take the bus to school; these bus riders often have to board the bus as early as 6am to arrive at school on time. Many of these children sacrifice having breakfast so that they can have a few more minutes of sleep. I believe that early morning classes negatively affect children's mental health, overall well-being, and academic success due to inadequate sleep. Extensive research consistently demonstrates that early school start times directly contradict the natural sleep patterns of adolescents, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. This lack of rest negatively affects their ability to focus in class, retain information, and make healthy decisions. I have watched my children, who prioritize school and are engaged students, struggle with the early start time. I urge you to prioritize this critical issue and support policies that enable our children to get the sleep they need to thrive. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Dear Chairman Cordelli and Members of the NH House Education Policy and Administration, I am writing to express my strong support for House Bill 184 that would establish a committee to study changing school start times. I am concerned about the mental health of our young people - which is directly impacted by additional sleep. Moving start times leads directly to more sleep, better grades and behavior, and reduced mental health issues. Let's follow the science and support our young people. Currently, the start time for high school and middle school in my School District (SAU #1, Contoocook Valley) is 7:15 a.m. Our district is very large geographically and bus routes start more than an hour before the start time. Years worth of research demonstrates that early school start times are in opposition to the natural sleep patterns of adolescents, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. This lack of rest negatively affects their ability to focus in class, retain information, and make healthy decisions. Please vote to move forward on this issue. Thank you for your time and consideration

I am writing to express my strong support for House Bill 184 that would establish a committee to study changing school start times. Currently, the start time for high school and middle school in my School District (SAU #1, Contoocook Valley) is 7:15 a.m. For several reasons, including those related to health, safety and socioeconomics, I am worried about the negative impacts of early start times on children and families including my own. Foremost, I am concerned that early morning classes negatively affects academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being due to inadequate sleep. Extensive research consistently demonstrates that early school start times directly contradict the natural sleep patterns of adolescents, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. This lack of rest negatively affects their ability to focus in class, retain information, and make healthy decisions. I urge you to prioritize this critical issue and support policies that enable our children to get the sleep they need to thrive. Thank you for your time and consideration.

In the SAU16 district the bus for our middle school picks up as early as 640. For a growing adolescent, it is with great importance that children get enough sleep, and wake up at a reasonable hour for school. Please support this bill.

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