COLUMBUS, Ohio — A State Senator from Cleveland has introduced a bill that would mandate later start times for all of Ohio's public schools.
Sen. Sandra R. Williams (D) proposed Senate Bill 218 this past Tuesday. If enacted, all state-funded schools would be prohibited from beginning their school days before 8:30 a.m.
Districts in the state and around the country have been considering later school start times for years now, and a 2014 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended 8:30 a.m. as the ideal start time for all students. California recently became the first state in the Union to mandate later start times, although while high schools are required to start no earlier than 8:30 middle schools can still start as early as 8 a.m.
However, Legislative Service Commission Fellow and Williams aide Garbrielle Woodberry says the senator's primary concern with introducing the bill is safety, as many students going to school early are doing so in the dark. She cited the case of 11-year-old Elizabeth Robertson-Rutland, a Columbus girl who died after being hit by two cars while crossing the street to catch her bus around 6:30 a.m. last month. There were no crosswalks or street lights in the area.
Woodberry added that the later start times could also bring welcome consequences for the classroom, such as less-tired students and an increase in productivity. She said Williams has received a lot of positive feedback from her constituents in the 21st district, and that the bill is still in its early stages with plenty of room for growth to address potential concerns.
You can read the full bill as is below: