Should The School Day At All NY Schools Begin Later Than 8 A.M.?

Do you remember what time school started each day for you? It's been a few years,(or decades) since I've attended secondary school, and I'm trying to remember when the school bus picked us up.

I lived in the country, so my day would begin a bit earlier with about a 30-minute ride to school taking into account all the stops and drops offs at the elementary and middle schools before my destination at the high school. I'm thinking that homeroom began somewhere around 7:45 am, and the first period began just before 8 am. The dismissal was around 3 or 3:30 pm.

According to the New York State School Board Association, 3 percent of New York State schools begin their day at 8:30 am or later, 66 percent before 8 am, and 13.5 percent before 7:30 am.

Start School Later is a website that advocates school days beginning at a later time. Part of the problem it mentions is that too early a start forces "many children to walk and drive to school in the pre-dawn darkness, these hours are creating a generation deprived of the sleep that growing brains and bodies require."

NBC-TV 4 in New York City reports that the State of New Jersey may require schools in the state to begin their day at 8:30 am or later. The article mentions that teenagers need more sleep due to mental and physical effects, according to scientific research. Some New Jersey school districts have already moved the start of the day to 8 am or later.

So the question is, should New York State adopt the start time to after 8 am as well? The article from the New York State Board Association, states that the concerns for a change in start and end times for a school day are the challenges of transportation, after-school activities, sports schedules, and after-school jobs.

via New York State School Board Association, Start School Later, NBC-TV 4