I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1861 

To direct the Secretary of Education to conduct a study to determine the 

relationship between school start times and adolescent health, well-being, 

and performance. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 25, 2019 

Ms. LOFGREN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Education to conduct a study 

to determine the relationship between school start times 

and adolescent health, well-being, and performance. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘ZZZ’s to A’s Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) The Secretary of Education has not for8 mally issued policy guidance on school start times. 


pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1861 IH

1 (2) Eight to 10 hours of sleep a day is rec2 ommended for teenagers aged 13 to 18 years, but 

3 early school start times are contributing to lack of 

4 sleep among adolescents. 

5 (3) Despite the shift in biological rhythms dur6 ing puberty, which causes adolescents to sleep later 

7 at night and wake later in the morning, 93 percent 

8 of high schools and 83 percent of middle schools in 

9 the United States started before 8:30 a.m. in 2014. 

10 (4) Numerous local educational agencies across 

11 46 States have recently changed or are considering 

12 changing school start times in an effort to improve 

13 adolescent health, well-being, and performance. 

14 (5) Later school start times are associated 

15 with— 

16 (A) improvements in academic perform17 ance, including attendance rates, grade point 

18 averages, and test scores; 

19 (B) improvements in mental and physical 

20 health, including reduced risk of depression and 

21 obesity; and 

22 (C) improvements in public safety, includ23 ing reduced risk of automobile accidents. 

24 (6) A universal delay in school start times 

25 would be a cost-effective policy measure. 


pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1861 IH

1 (7) The Department of Education’s mission is 

2 to promote student achievement and preparation for 

3 global competitiveness by fostering educational excel4 lence and ensuring equal access. 

5 SEC. 3. STUDY AND REPORT. 

6 Not later than 18 months after the date of the enact7 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall— 

8 (1) conduct a study, directly or through the 

9 award of a grant or contract, to examine the rela10 tionship between school start times and adolescent 

11 health, well-being, and performance that— 

12 (A) provides a comprehensive review of the 

13 scientific evidence relating to school start times 

14 and adolescent health, well-being, and perform15 ance; 

16 (B) compares adolescent health, well-being, 

17 and performance among local educational agen18 cies with different school start times; and 

19 (C) evaluates factors that contribute to or 

20 affect school start times; and 

21 (2) submit to Congress a report that de22 scribes— 

23 (A) the findings of the study; and 

24 (B) any recommendations of the Secretary 

25 based on such findings. 


pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1861 IH

1 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

4 ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 

5 the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec6 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

7 (2) PERFORMANCE.—The term ‘‘performance’’ 

8 means a measurement of how well an individual 

9 achieves a desired task, and may include academic 

10 performance and cognitive performance. 

Æ 


pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS