RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, in August of 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a technical report advocating for a later school start time, recommending that adolescents get eight and a half or nine and a half hours of sleep a night, and urging schools to start no earlier than 8:30 am; and
WHEREAS, on November 13, 2014, the Committee on Health and Environmental Protection held hearings to address research into sleep health in adolescents, to investigate the subject of sleep deprivation and explore the possibility of a later start time for schools; and
WHEREAS, experts in the field of pediatrics testified before the Committee on Health and Environmental Protection regarding the science of "drift in sleep phase" for adolescents, shifts in circadian rhythm, and a correlation between sleep deprivation in teenagers, health risks and a decline in school performance; and
WHEREAS, these findings were presented to the Chicago Public Schools with several recommendations on how to accommodate high school students who may not be receiving enough sleep at night; and
WHEREAS, thousands of students in every ward across the City of Chicago commute to high school for start times at 8:00 am or earlier, and a later school start time for adolescents would beneficial for the health and wellbeing of Chicago's teenagers; and ,
WHEREAS, Chicago Public Schools would save $9 million by reducing the number of bus shifts, allowing the districts to consolidate the bus stop plan and reuse elementary school buses for high schools; and
WHEREAS, the change in bus schedules would align the Chicago Public Schools with the majority of school districts throughout the country; now therefore,
Margaret Laurino Alderman, 39th Ward
BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council expresses support ofthe Chicago Public Schools' changed start schedules as a measure towards improving the health and academic performance of students and saving significant funds.