High School Students Need More Sleep

Regarding Valerie Strauss's Jan. 10 news story "Schools Waking Up to Teens' Unique Sleep Needs":

This article is written in varying forms every year. Teenagers need more sleep to perform better. Yet officials continue to debate about whether to start classes later for high school students. The consensus then seems to be that because grades and test scores would improve only slightly, a change is not needed.

It is a sad commentary that grades are put ahead of the negative effects sleep deprivation has on our children's moods, performance, attention, learning behavior and

biological functions.

EVETTE Y. MASTERS

Bethesda

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The issue of later start times is at the forefront in Fairfax County, where high schools now start at 7:20 a.m. Bus pickups start at 5:23 a.m.

The Fairfax County School Board is trying to change this. It has hired a transportation consultant to find bus schedules that would accommodate later high school start times. A second phase of that study should be out early this year.

SLEEP -- Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal -- celebrates its second anniversary this month with more than 6,000 names on a petition to the superintendent and board to make this change for the health and well-being of high school students.

Extensive surveys of students, parents and teachers at one county high school -- where more than half the students said they fall asleep at least once a week -- showed overwhelming support for later start times. The surveys also showed that later end times would not interfere with most student jobs.

SANDY EVANS

Falls Church

PHYLLIS PAYNE

Fairfax

The writers are co-founders of SLEEP.