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Joseph Chen (Masterman, 9-1) typically wakes up at 6:00 a.m. He gets ready for school, grabbing a small breakfast, like an apple, before leaving the house. Carpooling with two peers, he arrives at school around 8:00 a.m., 15 minutes after J.R. Masterman allows students to enter the building, and 30 minutes before first period. In the spring, Joseph will wake up one hour earlier and take public transportation for morning volleyball practices. Currently, Joseph sleeps 7-8 hours a night.
Joseph barely receives, or falls just below, the recommended amount of sleep. Data on the exact amount of sleep an adolescent receives varies; the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests 8-10 hours per night while Nationwide Children’s and John Hopkins Medicine narrow this range, recommending 9–9.5 hours. According to a 2018 study by the CDC, seven out of 10 high schoolers lack sleep, with the majority (26.7%) averaging seven hours.
The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) recently acted on similar data related to teenagers’ sleep needs. In a letter signed by Evelyn Nuñez, Chief of Schools, SDP announced a new adaptation to standardize high school’s start times, stating that all upper schools except four “will shift to a 9:00 a.m. start time” so students like Joseph will be able to gain one more hour of sleep during the 2022-23 school year.
As a reason for this schedule change, Nuñez points to parent feedback during Spring 2021 and an American Academy of Pediatrics report. The AAP report demonstrates that adolescents attending schools with later start times are more attentive and hence perform better. In a Zoom interview, Monica Lewis, the Chief Communications Director for SDP reported this shift was something “SDP had been looking to do for several years,” adding that the Coronavirus pandemic stalled the initiative. She noted that in 2021, SDP warned families that the bell schedule could be adjusted; essentially, this is a dynamic process.
Ms. Lewis’ warning became relevant on March 25, 2022, when SDP stated the schedule would be “postponed” with various reasons mentioned. These included: “ongoing bus driver shortages,” which are widespread across the country; incessant adjustments to COVID-19; outside “traumas locally, nationally, and globally;” and generally accommodating members of the district after a year of virtual school.
However, SDP “remain[s] fully committed to our ultimate goal of shifting all of our high schools and middle/high schools to start times that align with AAP recommendations,” adding that the bus-driver issue will be addressed.
Prior to the SDP’s reversal of the decision, Voices planned to publish an article covering opinions on the 9:00 a.m. start time. To read about these opinions, click here.
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