CT Lawmakers push for later school start times

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    HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) — High school students may be thanking their local lawmakers if a new bill moves forward.

The proposal would allow teenagers to get more sleep, thanks to a later school start time.

Morgan Lloyd, a graduate of the West Hartford school system, has been advocating for later high school start times for years.

“Exhaustion was a badge of honor in high school. We would compare sleep horror stories, in a way, competing with one another to see who was operating on the least amount of sleep,” Lloyd said.

On Friday, she was joined at the capitol by a group of state lawmakers and doctors who agree.

“In the U.S., about 90 percent of teens are not getting enough sleep at night,” said Dr. Craig Canapari, director of the Pediatric Sleep Center at Yale New Haven Hospital.

He said he agrees with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that U.S. high schools should not begin before 8:30 a.m. because teens have trouble getting enough sleep if the bell rings any earlier.

Janie Czertak wishes a change had come when she was in school.

“I think it’s great, I think it’s important honestly in high school. I hated getting up for 7 a.m.,” Czertak said.

A group of state lawmakers are proposing a bill that would require the Department of Education to study the possibility of later start times throughout Connecticut schools.

While many parents said they think it is a good idea, others don’t, and worry a later start time would just push back after-school activities.

In West Hartford, some school leaders have pushed for later start times for years and they have asked the state to look into the issue, but an actual change is likely at least two years away.

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