Move High School Start Times Later? Here's What Hillsborough Says

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — New Jersey high school teens, including at Hillsborough High School, may get a couple of hours of extra sleep if the Legislature goes forward with a new bill that would move high school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

The new bill (A3816), sponsored by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) and Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Monmouth), would go into effect at the start of the 2024-25 school year. The legislation would not impact elementary and middle school students.

Supporters of the bill say it is a response to the teen mental health crisis, which experts say was made worse by the pandemic. Read More: NJ High Schools Could Start At 8:30 A.M. If This New Bill Passes

Patch asked local residents whether it would be a good idea to have later start times for high school students. The responses were mixed among Hillsborough residents.

Here are some of the responses:

"Yes, definitely a good idea. They don't go to bed early, yet have to wake up early resulting in not enough sleep. Plus, with the early start time they are out of school well before any working parent/adult is home and that could be trouble," said one reader.

"Years ago (15) I had a 11 year old talk about watching a tv show at 1:30 in the morning!!! When I was that age I had morning chores to do before school, so I was in bed at that age at 9 the latest. So I never missed my 7:30 bus, these kids couldn’t make the bus at 8:45. People parent your kids they need to face the consequences of staying up late. Take away the tv phones and other electronic devices by 9 and they will go to sleep!" said another reader.

"Later start for high school just means they will Even stay up later. If you want the students to better academically why not limit their School activities to 2 or 3 a year," said a reader.

"It's definitely going to impact bussing, and the votech," said a reader.

"Yes definitely students would be more alert and focused if they had a later start time!" said a reader.

A new bill is looking to move high school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Do you think this would be a good idea for Hillsborough HS? Why or why not? Comment below, or join the conversation on the Hillsborough Patch Facebook page.

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