1. Will you sign Start School Later’s 2013 petition at https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/changing-howard-county?  If you won’t sign it, please explain why.

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I’ve most recently signed this petition in 2020. However, I do not feel that the petition goes far enough in suggesting that school should start no earlier than 8 am. Teenagers struggle to sleep before 11 pm and they need 9.5 hours of sleep; they will still be sleep-deprived with an 8 am start time, as they will have to wake before that to get ready for school and get to school. Personally, I went to a school with an 8 am start time and students still fell asleep in 1st period.

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2. Based on the research that later middle and high school start times increase graduation rates and decrease absenteeism, with disadvantaged students benefiting the most from age-appropriate school hours, do you feel the current school hours affects the County’s ability to be a leader in K-12 education for all students? 

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Absolutely. The school system should teach by example.  For many years, the data has supported the need for a later start time. Implementing a later start time should be a priority. Changing school start times has long been known to improve outcomes, reduce absenteeism, and increase graduation rates. These improvements in outcomes are highest for the most disadvantaged students, particularly those whose parents have jobs that prevent them from seeing their child to school on time each morning.  This policy has also been extensively discussed for many years within the HCPSS community, with plenty of avenues for public input. The largest criticism is that the start times do not align with what is sometimes referred to as the social clock, meaning what people currently expect.  However, I believe the social clock can and will adjust and that changing school start times may benefit many more people as the social clock adjusts.

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3. What hours would you define as healthy, safe, and age appropriate?  The current school hours are:  Elementary 8:15-9:25 a.m. start times, Middle School 7:40-8:25 a.m. start times, and High School 7:25 a.m. start time.

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Elementary School: no earlier than 9 am. This appears to be less well studied, but the few studies I find suggest that elementary school students also suffer from an early start time. I know for my oldest, his 9 am start time was just perfect.  While some young children are early risers, others are not.  Elementary school children need 9-12 hours of sleep a night.  Having an early start time would require students who need 11 or 12 hours of sleep a night to go to bed during substantial portions of the school year while it is still light out, which is a struggle for many small children (as well as older children and adults). Sleep deprivation in young children leads to educational and behavioral problems.

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Middle School: no earlier than 9 am. A 9 am start time would allow students to go to bed at 11 am, sleep 9.5 hours, and have a half hour to get ready and go to school. This is consistent with the 2014 guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatricians (https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/134/3/642)

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High School: no earlier than 9 am. A 9 am start time would allow students to go to bed at 11 am, sleep 9.5 hours, and have a half hour to get ready and to school. This is consistent with the 2014 guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatricians (https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/134/3/642)

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4. On February 10, 2022, the HCPSS Board of Education unanimously voted for healthy school hours to be implemented for the 2023-2024 school year. Do you agree with this decision? Why or why not? 

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I am disappointed that the Board of Education yet again delayed implementation for the 2022-2023 school year.  The delay was done with the best of intentions. However, we have seen approval for the change in school start time before, we have seen these delays before, and ultimately, we have yet to see the change in start times implemented.  I am concerned this one-year delay will end like other such delays—that the policy will not be implemented. The challenges facing the school system in implementing this policy have largely not changed since its first approval, many years ago.  I am also concerned that the reason for the delay was the need to use redistricting to implement changes to minimize the burden on the transportation system, yet the board voted a few weeks later to limit redistricting to moves associated with the opening of the new schools and minimizing small feeds. The last redistricting saw a large number of moves that increased the burden on a transportation system that was already at the breaking point. I am concerned that during redistricting the board will not prioritize school start times and that the implementation of later school start times will be delayed yet again.

 

(Question 5 was missing)

 

6. In your prior experience and positions, what have you done to ensure all Howard County Public School students (K-12) have healthy, safe, and age appropriate school hours?

 

I have personally advocated to my friends, neighbors, and colleagues about this for many years, even before I had children. In 2019, the issue of school start times was part of my redistricting testimony, as I thought that low-income students would be better served using the limited transportation resources on changing start times.  Additionally, during continuity of learning, I wrote the board advocating for optimal hours for students.

 

7.  In your elected position, what will you do to ensure healthy and safe school hours for all of Howard County Public School Students?    Please be specific:  Resolutions, recommendations, funding requests, educational outreach, implementation efforts, etc.

 

I will continue to advocate for healthy and safe school hours for all kids, at all grade levels. I am willing to compromise, to at least improve start times. But considering how lengthy the process has already been, it suggests a further adjustment won’t come in the near future. Therefore, I genuinely hope we would be more aggressive about having a later start time than merely 8 am, which is in the petition.  An 8 am start time would not be in line with recommendations from the experts that are based on sound research and data.  Many of the arguments I have seen against such a change revolve around the social clock and with difficulties with parents’ schedules, extracurricular activity and athletics schedules, and after-school use of school facilities. I would advocate for more outreach and communication with respect to those issues.

 

(Question 8 was missing)

 

9.  Is there anything else you would like your constituents and future voters to know about your position on safe, healthy, and age-appropriate school hours?

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While addressing school start times is the most ideal outcome, if we cannot accomplish that, I would like to explore developing a test program at a few middle and high schools where the schedule rotates daily, as is done at some private schools. For example, if English is the first period class, it may be the first class of the day today, but the second tomorrow, and the third the day after. In this way, one subject of a student’s schedule is not unduly affected by early start times. A full rotation would mean that every class may occur first. A full rotation may not be possible with half day programs and other school opportunities like those at ARL.  If that is the case, testing rotations only for morning classes may be warranted. Any such test program should have ample opportunities for input from students, families, teachers, and staff.

In addition, I think we need to assess the potential financial benefits that might be realized from this change. One such report from the Brookings Institute from 63 economists suggests a substantial benefit-to-cost ratio of (9:1). Much of this savings comes from increased test scores and may not be realized by the school system. However, they highlight that savings may come from the appropriation of federal dollars for schools, which is partially dependent on student attendance data. Having age-appropriate school hours reduces tardiness and absenteeism levels, which could result in increased funding that could offset any increased transportation costs.