HARRISBURG – A state lawmaker is proposing PA’s public secondary schools to institute a later start time. In a co-sponsorship memo, Westmoreland County Rep. Jill Cooper cited a report from the Joint State Government Commission entitled “Sleep Deprivation in Adolescents: A Case for Delaying Secondary School Start Times.” The research showed adolescents who do not get enough sleep are more likely to suffer from physical and mental health problems, are more likely to decline academically, and are at an increased risk of being in a vehicle accident. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that 13 to 18 year-olds receive 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Starting with the 2026-27 school year, the measure would require PA public secondary schools to begin no earlier than 8:15 a.m. It would also require each school board to inform its community about the health and academic impacts of sleep deprivation on secondary school students, the benefits of a later school start time, and to discuss local strategies to implement a delayed school start time.
REP. JILL COOPER