Portland Public High Schools should start no earlier than 8:30am

Due to sleep/ wake patterns shifting in teenage years, schools should start later to accommodate this.
During puberty sleep schedules shift about 2 hours. Studies show that many children can’t fall asleep before eleven p.m. and schools that start before 8:30 generally have students falling asleep in class, and don’t perform as well academically. Chronic sleep loss in children and young adults is one of the most common public health issue today in the U.S. “A National Sleep Foundation poll found 87 percent of high school students in the U.S. were getting less than the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep on school nights.” (AAP).The American Academy of pediatricians stated too-early start to the school day is a critical contributor to chronic sleep deprivation among American adolescent.