Chatham, Then NJ? Chatham Schools Push Back Start Times So Students Can Get More Sleep

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham was never meant to be a borough or township that never sleeps. After months of discussions about starting the school day later, the School District of the Chathams will make the schedule change next year so students can get more shuteye.

Meanwhile, New Jersey lawmakers will consider a similar measure for the state, with new billsin the Assembly and State Senate that would move high school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Read more: NJ High Schools Could Start At 8:30 A.M. If This New Bill Passes

Chatham High School, which begins the day at 7:40 a.m., will begin at 8:20 a.m. in the 2022-23 school year. Pre-K-to-third-grade schools will start at 8:55 a.m., while the Lafayette School will kick things off at 9 a.m.

Chatham Middle School will still begin at 7:55 a.m., with the district's analysis finding that Chatham's students begin struggling more with sleep as they move through high school.

"We recognize that a change to the daily routine of school is challenging and will require significant adjustments for families," Superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa wrote Thursday to parents and staff. "However, we believe these changes will benefit our students and lead to an array of positive outcomes relative to their learning and well-being."

The district spent a significant amount of time discussing delayed starts to each school day. Chatham student surveys from grades 6 through 12 taken between 2016 and 2021, showed the number of hours of sleep they typically get continues to fall each year, LaSusa said at Feb. 7's Board of Education meeting.

Students in Grade 8 begin to get less sleep, which significantly drops as students reach grade 12, he said. The greater number of students surveyed are getting six hours or less of sleep, with 45 percent in the high school sleeping that amount.

When high schools push back their start times, kids sleep more, LaSusa said. Studies across the country have shown that high schoolers go to bed at the same time and get up later, when school start times are later in the morning. Students that do get up at the same time, may take more time to eat breakfast or prepare themselves for their day ahead.

Meanwhile, several lawmakers in Trenton are pushing a similar, statewide measure. New bills in the Assembly and Senate would push high school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The bill — sponsored by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) and Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth) — would go into effect in the 2024-25 school year.

The lawmakers behind the bill specifically cite study linking sleep and mental health, which discovered that teens who attend school earlier in the morning can be at a higher risk of experiencing depression and anxiety. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, New Jersey students start school around 7:51 a.m. on average.

The bill has gained support from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. At an event in Chatham last week, Gov. Phil Murphy said he is "absolutely open-minded" to a later start time in New Jersey high schools.

"There's a fair amount of research that suggests it's a better way to go to start later," Murphy said.

With reporting from Vianella Burns/Patch Staff

Thanks for reading. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter and follow the Chatham Patch Facebook page.