ZZZ’s to A’s Act

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. Short title This Act may be cited as the ZZZ’s to A’s Act 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The Secretary of Education has not formally issued policy guidance on school start times. (2) The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day for teenagers aged 13 to 18 years, but early school start times are contributing to lack of sleep among adolescents. (3) Despite the shift in biological rhythms during puberty, which causes adolescents to sleep later at night and wake later in the morning, 82 percent of public high schools and 79 percent of public middle schools in the United States started before 8:30 a.m. in the 2017–2018 school year. (4) The State of California became the first State to enact a law to move back school start times beginning in the 2022–2023 school year. (5) Numerous local educational agencies across 46 States have also recently changed or are considering changing school start times in an effort to improve adolescent health, well-being, and performance. (6) The American Academy of Pediatrics has strongly supported efforts to optimize sleep in students by delaying school start times since 2014. (7) Later school start times are associated with— (A) improvements in academic performance, including attendance rates, grade point averages, and test scores; (B) improvements in mental and physical health, including reduced risk of depression and obesity; and (C) improvements in public safety, including reduced risk of automobile accidents. (8) A universal delay in school start times would be a cost-effective policy measure. (9) The mission of the Department of Education is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. 3. Study and report Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall— (1) conduct a study, directly or through the award of a grant or contract, to examine the relationship between school start times and adolescent health, well-being, and performance that— (A) provides a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence relating to school start times and adolescent health, well-being, and performance; (B) compares adolescent health, well-being, and performance among local educational agencies with different school start times; and (C) evaluates factors that contribute to or affect school start times; and (2) submit to Congress a report that describes— (A) the findings of the study; and (B) any recommendations of the Secretary based on such findings. 4. Definitions In this Act: (1) Local educational agency The term local educational agency 20 U.S.C. 7801 (2) Performance The term performance

Summary: ZZZ's to A's Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to conduct a study that examines the relationship between school start times and adolescent health, well-being, and performance; comprehensively reviews the scientific evidence relating to that relationship; compares adolescent health, well-being, and performance among local educational agencies with different school start times; and evaluates factors that contribute to, or affect, school start times. ED shall report its findings and recommendations to Congress.