An Act To Provide for a Later Starting Time for High Schools
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0711
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: DAUGHTRY, MILLETT, CHENETTE, FECTEAU, GOLDEN, HUBBELL, POULIOT, TIPPING-SPITZ, GERZOFSKY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §4801

Legislative Document 
No. 711 
H.P. 487 
House of Representatives, March 5, 2015 
An Act To Provide for a Later Starting Time for High Schools 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative DAUGHTRY of Brunswick. 
Cosponsored by Senator MILLETT of Cumberland and 
Representatives: CHENETTE of Saco, FECTEAU of Biddeford, GOLDEN of Lewiston, 
HUBBELL of Bar Harbor, McLEAN of Gorham, POULIOT of Augusta, TIPPING-SPITZ of 
Orono, Senator: GERZOFSKY of Cumberland. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §4801, sub-§2-B is enacted to read: 
2-B.  Start time; uninterrupted time.  A school administrative unit shall ensure that 
a secondary school in the unit does not start a school day before 8:30 a.m. and that there 
is at least 11 consecutive hours of uninterrupted time from the end of a class, 
extracurricular activity, athletic practice or any other school activity to the start of the 
next school day. 
Sec. 2.  School administrative units shall provide plan to Department of 
Education.  By September 1, 2016, each school administrative unit shall provide to the 
Department of Education the unit's plan to comply with the provisions of the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 4801, subsection 2-B, including a proposed calendar 
and schedule.  A failure by a school administrative unit to provide a compliance plan 
under this section by September 1, 2016 results in a reduction of 0.01% of the state share 
of funding attributable to the cost of the components of essential programs and services 
under Title 20-A, section 15671.  If a school administrative unit fails to provide a 
compliance plan under this section by March 1, 2017, the unit shall follow a calendar and 
schedule provided by the Department of Education.  A failure by a school administrative 
unit to provide a compliance plan under this section by September 1, 2017 results in a 
reduction of 15% of the state share of funding attributable to the cost of the components 
of essential programs and services under Title 20-A, section 15671 for each year until the 
unit provides a compliance plan. 
Sec. 3.  Effective date.  That section of this Act that enacts the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 20-A, section 4801, subsection 2-B takes effect September 1, 2017. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires that, by September 1, 2017, each school administrative unit ensure 
that its secondary schools' school days start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and that there be at 
least 11 consecutive hours of uninterrupted time from the end of a class, extracurricular 
activity, athletic practice or any other school activity to the start of the next school day.  
A school administrative unit is required to submit a compliance plan.  Units that do not 
comply face reductions in the state share of funding attributable to the cost of the 
components of essential programs and services.