Legislature(2019 - 2020)BUTROVICH 205
02/20/2020 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB149 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 149 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 149-HIGH SCHOOL START TIME
9:00:50 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO.
149, "An Act relating to the start time of a day in session for
public high schools."
He stated his intention to hear the bill and set it aside for
future review. He invited bill sponsor Senator Costello to the
table.
9:01:12 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO, speaking as sponsor of SB 149, said she has
been watching the results of an online poll [about high school
start times] conducted by a high school student and the support
is rising each hour.
9:02:04 AM
KATIE MCCALL, Intern, Senator Mia Costello, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, said SB 149 is the Smart Start bill
which would change the start time for high schools in Alaska to
8:30 a.m. or later. The aim of the bill is to improve academic
achievement by ensuring that students are alert and adequately
prepared for the school day. Medical research has shown strong
support for later start times, particularly for high school
students.
MS. MCCALL said adolescent sleep deprivation is a growing
concern as it has adverse impacts on student health and success
in the classroom. Without adequate sleep, the health, behavior,
and safety of adolescents are negatively affected.
MS. MCCALL said the National Sleep Foundation supports the
theory that teenagers experience a biological shift in their
natural circadian rhythms. Adolescents' natural sleep patterns
result in a later-to-bed, later-to-rise cycle. In adolescence,
the brain chemical melatonin is secreted from 11 p.m. until 8
a.m. Early school start times interrupt the natural sleep
pattern of teenagers, so these students are in class when their
brains and bodies are still in biological sleep mode.
MS. MCCALL said teenagers already face disproportionately high
mortality rates, and motor vehicle accidents are a significant
contributor. Driving while drowsy only increases the likelihood
of an accident. According to an article by Dr. Perri Klass, in
members' packets, sleeping less than four hours puts someone at
the same risk as driving with double the legal alcohol limit.
Teen drivers are already inexperienced behind the wheel, but
sleep-deprived teenagers become an even greater hazard to
themselves and others.
MS. MCCALL shared that districts have seen positive results
after moving to a later start time. The School Start Time Study
followed two Minneapolis-area districts that changed their high
school start times from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in one district
and from 7:20 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. in another. The study found many
positive benefits, including improved attendance and enrollment
rates, less sleeping in class, less student-reported depression,
fewer student visits to school counselors for behavior and peer
issues, and more even temperament at home.
9:05:43 AM
MS. MCCALL said the School Start Time Study was a longitudinal
study that revealed that the later school start time had lasting
positive impacts.
MS. MCCALL said research supports the theory that students
perform better later in the day. The Oxford Handbook of Infant,
Child, and Adolescent Sleep and Behavior states that high school
students tend to perform better in courses that are later in the
day and perform better on cognitive tests that are given in the
afternoon.
MS. MCCALL said the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
recommends that teenagers, ages 13 to 18 years, should regularly
sleep 8 to 10 hours per day for good health. Adolescents who do
not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not
engage in daily physical activity, suffer from symptoms of
depression, and engage in unhealthy risk behaviors such as
drinking, smoking tobacco, and using illicit drugs. These
adolescents also perform poorly in school.
MS. MCCALL said the Juneau School District has already
implemented later start times in the high schools. Juneau-
Douglas High School and Thunder Mountain High School begin at
9:15 a.m. and end at 3:35 p.m. Yaakoosg? Daakah?di High School
begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m.
MS. MCCALL said an article in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner
reported that the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
surveyed 3,000 parents, staff, students, and community members.
According to the survey, 65 percent of respondents indicated
respondents would "support" or be "very supportive" of changing
start times.
MS. MCCALL reviewed past proposals to implement later start
times. According to a 2018 KTUU article, the Anchorage School
Board considered a proposal to change school start times. The
Anchorage School District said this would improve performance,
attendance, and graduation rates for middle and high school
students.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if districts currently could do this, and SB
149 would mandate that high schools change the start time.
MS. MCCALL agreed that schools can change start times now and
that the bill says that 8:30 a.m. is the earliest that high
schools can begin.
9:09:55 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked whether the Anchorage School District has
any plans to change the start time. She recalled that Chugiak
High School still starts at 7:30 a.m.
MS. MCCALL replied the proposal was ultimately unsuccessful, but
there is considerable support for it, especially from students
and parents. Many students are still advocating for later start
times.
SENATOR HUGHES said she could not imagine a survey in which
teenagers would not support a later start time. She asked why
the Anchorage School District did not change the start time. She
acknowledged that in her area, busing is often a challenge.
MS. MCCALL answered logistics of busing is a considerable
barrier, but there are successful examples in some districts.
For example, Juneau made it work. She related her understanding
that it comes down to deciding whether to change elementary and
middle school times due to busing schedules. This bill only
addresses the high school start time since the logistics are
left to school districts to decide.
SENATOR COSTELLO said she did not want to make light of the fact
that teens are asking for this. She read from the change.org
survey from Matthew Park, a student at West High School:
As the next school year approaches, the daunting idea
of yet another year of heavy workloads and lack of
sleep crosses the minds of thousands of high school
students around Anchorage. With the first classes of
the day starting at 7:30 AM, students are exhausted,
unfocused, and held back from performing to the best
of their academic abilities.
SENATOR COSTELLO said when the legislature has previously
considered start times, it was clear that school districts have
the option to make that choice since Alaska favors local
control. However, the legislature sets policy and if every
decision were left to districts, there would be no need for the
education committees.
9:13:52 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO quoted from an article by Lisa Alexia in
members' packets, "Starting school later is perhaps the single
greatest investment you can make in education, health, and
safety of high school students in Alaska." She reported the
American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control, and
the American Academy of Pediatrics all endorse high school start
times being no earlier than 8:30 a.m. based on solid research
demonstrating the profound improvements that starting later can
have on mental health, learning, and safety.
SENATOR COSTELLO shared that she has a Master of Arts in
Teaching and is a nationally recognized high school teacher.
When she was pursuing her teaching degree, she read that a new
idea in the field of education takes 32 years to reach fruition
in classrooms, even when the concept is backed by research.
However, the turnaround time in medicine is three years. The
Alaska Department of Fish and Game's policies are entirely based
on research with great results. However, the legislature cannot
seem to apply research-based policies for students. She
expressed support for the bill so students can derive the
benefits.
CHAIR STEVENS said that in his experience, high school and
college always started too early.
MS. MCCALL added that extra-curricular activities start before
school, so students frequently come to high school at 6:00 a.m.
or 6:30 a.m. In her experience many of these students are also
involved in after school activities. If the high school start
time is moved to 8:30 a.m., some students will arrive at 7:30
a.m., which is much better than 6:00 a.m.
9:18:03 AM
SENATOR COGHILL asked for the range [of start times] in Alaska.
MS. MCCALL replied she reached out to the Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED), but it does not have
data on specific districts and start times. She said she would
do more research and follow up with the answer.
SENATOR COGHILL suggested the committee directly ask the
Department of Education and Early Development for the
information.
CHAIR STEVENS agreed.
9:19:15 AM
CHAIR STEVENS opened public testimony. He asked Mr. Wooten if he
had any comments on SB 149.
9:19:33 AM
NORM WOOTEN, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School
Boards (AASB), Juneau, Alaska, replied that the association has
not adopted a resolution for this, so he is not authorized to
comment on the bill. He offered to communicate with his members
so board members can provide comments during public testimony.
SENATOR COGHILL suggested that the AASB could provide
information and any discussion on high school start times.
MR. WOOTEN responded that he would mention that and perhaps the
association could provide some information to the committee.
9:21:27 AM
CHAIR STEVENS held SB 149 in committee and noted that written
testimony could be emailed to senate.education@akleg.gov.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 01_SB149_HS-Start-Times_Sponsor-Statement.pdf |
SEDC 2/20/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 149 |
| 02_SB149_HS-Start-Times_Bill-Text_Version U.pdf |
SEDC 2/20/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 149 |
| 03_SB149_HS-Start-Times_FiscalNote01_DEED-StudentSchoolAchieve_14Feb2020.pdf |
SEDC 2/20/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 149 |
| 04_SB149_HS-Start-Times_Presentation_Costello_20Feb2020.pdf |
SEDC 2/20/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 149 |
| 05_SB149_HS-Start-Times_SupportDoc-OpEd_Alexia_Another-Hour-of-Sleep_12Aug2017.pdf |
SEDC 2/20/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 149 |
| 06_SB149_HS-Start-Times_SupportDoc_OpEd_Wahlstrom_Later-HS-Start-Times_15Dec2015.pdf |
SEDC 2/20/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 149 |
| 07_SB149_HS-Start-Times_SupportDoc_OpEd_Klass_Science-of-Adolescent-Sleep_22May2017.pdf |
SEDC 2/20/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 149 |
| 08_SB149_HS-Start-Times_SupportDoc_Petition-For-830-Start-Time_M-Park_19Feb2020.pdf |
SEDC 2/20/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 149 |