Later school start times eyed to address youth mental health crisis
ABC News
New Jersey is one of several states exploring later school start times, as educators grapple with concerns about the pandemic's impact on youth's mental health.
California was the first state to mandate that high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Pediatrician Dr. Bert Mandelbaum hopes New Jersey will be the second.
New Jersey is one of several states exploring later school start times, as educators and health professionals grapple with concerns about the pandemic's impact on youth's mental health.
"I think we're at the right time that people are willing to listen and do the right thing for kids," Mandelbaum, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics New Jersey chapter's Task Force on Adolescent Sleep & School Start Times, told ABC News. "I think the pandemic heightened everyone's awareness of the mental health needs."
The task force has advocated for later start times for several years as a way to promote healthy sleep habits among adolescents, though Mandelbaum believes the pandemic's toll helped lead to state lawmakers last month introducing legislation that proposes pushing statewide high school start times in New Jersey to no earlier than 8.30 a.m., starting in the 2024-2025 school year. State Democrats said the bill was "beginning the work of addressing this national youth mental health crisis."
