Virginia Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement on School Start Times in Virginia

Authors

Sean Hesselbacher, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University; Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical CenterFollow
Mariana Szklo-Coxe, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Joint School of Public Health at Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Sachin Relia, Inland Psychiatry and SleepFollow
Jonathan Gellman, Virginia Sleep SpecialistsFollow
Nicole McIntyre, Bon Secours Mercy HealthFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-4133-2517 (Hesselbacher)

0000-0001-5259-8313 (Szklo-Coxe)

DOI

10.25884/vpr8-h948

Document Type

Special Article

Subcategory

Professional Society Statement

Abstract

The VASM endorses the 2017 AASM position statement that middle and high schools should begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The existing and updated scientific literature repeatedly identifies the detrimental impact of early high school start times, and the benefits of delaying start times, on the safety and well-being of students in Virginia. The adverse effects of early school start times on Virginia’s students have been demonstrated, with regards to academic performance, mental health, and driving risks. Data published since the AASM position paper highlight these dangers further. Importantly, recent studies also demonstrate some of the benefits that can come from delaying school start times, including improved academic performance and attendance, reduced depression and suicidality, positive economic impact, and reduction of adolescent motor vehicle crashes.

Early middle and high school start times significantly contribute to the public health epidemic of sleep deprivation in adolescents and its attendant harmful consequences. Thus, addressing start times, a modifiable risk factor, can not only address the teen sleep loss epidemic but also lead to increased productivity, attention, vigilance/safety, performance, and improved health in this vulnerable population.

Recommended Citation

Hesselbacher S, Szklo-Coxe M, Relia S, Gellman J, McIntyre N. Virginia Academy of Sleep Medicine Position Statement on School Start Times in Virginia. Eastern Virginia Medical Journal. 2025; 1(1). doi: 10.25884/vpr8-h948.