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• H.C.R. 3

H.C.R. 3 Concurrent Resolution Encouraging Consideration of a Later Start Time for High School

• Bill Text
• Status
• Hearings/Debate

Bill Sponsor: Rep. Harrison, Suzanne

Floor Sponsor: Sen. Millner, Ann

• CoSponsor(s):

  Judkins, M.	Moss, C.
  Waldrip, S.

• Drafting Attorney: Michael E. Curtis
• Fiscal Analyst: Sean C. Faherty

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• Bill Text
  • Introduced
  • Enrolled (Currently Displayed)

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• Related Documents
  • Fiscal Note
  • House Transmittal Letter 1
  • Senate Transmittal Letter 1
  • Agency Perf Note

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• Information
  • Last Action: 24 Mar 2020, Governor Signed
  • Last Location: Lieutenant Governor's office for filing
  • Effective Date: 24 Mar 2020

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  • Resolutions
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  • K-12 Education
  • School Personnel

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Enrolled

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H.C.R. 3

1     CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING
2     CONSIDERATION OF A LATER START TIME FOR HIGH
3     SCHOOL
4     2020 GENERAL SESSION
5     STATE OF UTAH
6     Chief Sponsor: Suzanne Harrison
7     Senate Sponsor: Ann Millner
8     Cosponsors:
9     Marsha Judkins
Carol Spackman Moss
Steve Waldrip

10     

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11     LONG TITLE
12     General Description:
13          This concurrent resolution encourages school districts and charter schools to consider
14     the possible benefits and consequences of a later start to the school day for high
15     schools.
16     Highlighted Provisions:
17          This resolution:
18          ▸     encourages school districts, charter schools, and school community councils to
19     consider the possible benefits and consequences of a later start to the school day for
20     high schools.
21     Special Clauses:
22          None
23     

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24     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
25          WHEREAS, the majority of adolescents are sleep deprived at school;
26          WHEREAS, research indicates that the natural biological rhythms of adolescents are a
27     poor fit with early school start times and that most adolescents get their best sleep between the
28     hours of 11:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.;

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29          WHEREAS, only a few Utah high schools start the school day after 8:00 a.m.;
30          WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association,
31     the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and over a dozen major medical organizations,
32     including the American Psychological Association all recommend that high schools start no
33     earlier than 8:30 a.m.;
34          WHEREAS, an average of only 10% of adolescents get the recommended 9.25 hours of
35     sleep each night and the Center of Disease Control's 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed
36     that 75.4% of U.S. high school students get fewer than 8 hours of sleep and 43% get less than 6
37     hours of sleep on school nights;
38          WHEREAS, environmental factors such as homework, extracurricular activities, social
39     activities, part-time work, and technology exacerbate the tendency for adolescents to decrease
40     sleep time;
41          WHEREAS, the National Sleep Foundation reports that 20 to 30% of high school
42     students sleep at least once a week during class and 14% are tardy due to oversleeping;
43          WHEREAS, research identifies numerous consequences and impacts on adolescent
44     brain development associated with sleep deprivation, including lack of attention to learning
45     tasks, poor retention of information taught, low grades, increased risk of auto accidents,
46     increased disciplinary problems, impaired judgment, increased suicidal thinking, increased
47     levels of anxiety and depression, decreased motivation, increased substance abuse, and other
48     negative consequences;
49          WHEREAS, sleep loss in adolescents has been associated with increased risk of
50     obesity, eating disorders, and cardiovascular morbidity which are likely to lead to increasingly
51     poor health as adolescents progress to adulthood;
52          WHEREAS, the need to start the high school day later is a public health concern;
53          WHEREAS, a comprehensive national study by the RAND Corporation on the
54     economic impacts of delaying the start of school to at least 8:30 a.m. found that the benefits of
55     a later start time far outweigh the immediate costs to implement later school start times and
56     that a nation-wide delayed start time would generate an estimated economic gain of $8.6 billion

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57     to the U.S. economy after just two years and potentially $83 billion after just ten years resulting
58     from improved academic performance and decreased mortality rates as a result of a decrease in
59     the number of car crashes;
60          WHEREAS, research indicates that later school start times for high schools result in
61     fewer car accidents, increased academic performance, fewer disciplinary referrals, improved
62     mental health and athletic performance, reduced weekend oversleep, increased number of
63     adolescents getting adequate sleep, and increased total sleep time;
64          WHEREAS, a major multi-state study conducted by researchers at the University of
65     Minnesota and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked later high school
66     start times with significant decreases in adolescent substance abuse, depression, and
67     consumption of caffeinated beverages;
68          WHEREAS, a study of secondary schools in Seattle found that delaying the school start
69     time by an hour resulted in an increased daily median sleep time and an increase in the median
70     grades among participating adolescents with a larger impact on adolescents from economically
71     disadvantaged families;
72          WHEREAS, the Seattle study also found that later school start times resulted in
73     increased punctuality and attendance, especially among economically disadvantaged students,
74     and could have a significant impact on decreasing the learning gap between low and high
75     socioeconomic groups;
76          WHEREAS, research indicates that later school start times have a minimal impact on
77     participation rates by adolescents in extracurricular activities;
78          WHEREAS, the community can support parents and families to ensure that adolescents
79     get appropriate sleep by adjusting school schedules;
80          WHEREAS, even small changes to the start time for high schools can result in
81     significant improvements to the health and academic performance of adolescents; and
82          WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes local control and that Utah's school districts and
83     charter schools are responsible for school schedules and start times:
84          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the

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85     Governor concurring therein, encourages school districts and charter schools, in consultation
86     with their respective school community councils, to consider the possible benefits and
87     consequences of a later start to the school day for high schools.
88          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the State Board
89     of Education, the State Charter School Board, and each school district and charter school in
90     Utah that serves students in grades 9 through 12.