N.J. high schools would start later in the day under top Democrats bill. Murphy is open to it. – NJ.com

High school students across New Jersey, take note. You would get to sleep in a little later before class under a new proposal spurred by what experts and officials say is a growing mental health crisis among young people.

Two lawmakers, including the leader of the state Assembly, introduced a bill this week that would require classes start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. at New Jersey high schools, beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

The measure would apparently not apply to elementary or middle schools.

Delaying school start times has been debated for years in the Garden State. Its now one of many issues that have been revisited in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, and state Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, said the new bill (A3816) is inspired by concern over the mental health of children and teens after two years of upheaval because of COVID-19. Many were already reporting alarming rates of depression and anxiety even before the pandemic.

Earlier this month, experts and advocates told state lawmakers New Jersey students are suffering amid a national mental health crisis.

Ensuring students are getting enough rest is an important first step toward addressing the alarming rise in student mental health issues were seeing in New Jersey, Gopal said.

Coughlin said students are better prepared to succeed in school when they are well rested and eat nutritious meals.

Overwhelmingly, the research and success stories out of other states school districts show that the benefits of later start times to students holistic well-being, in terms of both mental health and academic performance, easily outweigh the costs, he said.

One of the biggest arguments against the idea: Opponents say later start times could disrupt extracurricular activities, including sports, and cause problems for child care and busing schedules.

Gov. Phil Murphy told Politico New Jersey on Friday morning that he is open to the proposal.

Theres a fair amount of research that suggests its a better way to go to start later, Murphy said after an unrelated event at a school in Chatham. Im absolutely open-minded to that.

The bill would need to be passed by both the state Senate and Assembly and signed by Murphy to become law.

The vast majority of New Jersey middle and high schools currently begin before 8:30 a.m.

The average start time for New Jersey schools is 7:51 a.m., compared to the national average of 8 a.m., according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

California a state Murphy has often sought to emulate enacted a law in 2019 pushing start times to 8 a.m. for middle schoolers and 8:30 a.m. for high schoolers.

Then-Gov. Chris Christie signed a law in 2015 requiring the New Jersey Department of Education of study the feasibility and possible benefits or consequences of starting the day at middle and high schools no later than 8:30 a.m.

The education department released a report in 2019 saying teenagers would likely benefit from later start times, but the state shouldnt force the change because it would cause a logistical nightmare.

The same year, Murphy signed a law that required the state to experiment with starting classes after 8:30 a.m. at five high schools.

A number of organizations including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have suggested delaying school start times to align school schedules to the biological sleep rhythms of adolescents.

Experts say those rhythms cause teenagers to go to bed later and thus, school would need to start later to accommodate their need for 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep on school nights. Those who are deprived of sleep can suffer physical and mental health problems and experience a drop in academic performance, experts say.

The new proposal has the support of New Jerseys chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Jeanne Craft, the chapters president, said research show later start times for adolescents contribute to better academic performance, quality of life, mental health, and school attendance.

Still, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators has said schools that delayed start times received complaints from parents. One major concern is how much longer students will stay up if classes begin later in the morning.

State Sen. Richard Codey, a former governor, has long supported later start times and said he is all in on the new bill.

Theres not too many pediatricians who wont say were right, Codey, D-Essex, told NJ Advance Media. Their safety and their ability to learn is impacted negatively. Thats the biggest issue.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Matt Arco contributed to this report.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @johnsb01.

Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com.

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N.J. high schools would start later in the day under top Democrats bill. Murphy is open to it. - NJ.com