Around Butler County, students ages 6 to 18 are frequently waking up at 6 a.m. or earlier to get ready for school, but some studies show this can be detrimental to students’ health.

Because of this, school districts across Pennsylvania, such as Seneca Valley, have advocated for Pennsylvania House Bill 2152 — a proposal designed to financially incentivize school districts to adopt later start times “aligned with adolescent sleep science.”

Recently, state lawmakers and education leaders have taken part in a “Rested and Ready” virtual forum. It is a statewide effort to advance ongoing conversation about adolescent sleep health and school start times, and to advocate for legislation.

“Changing start times requires planning and collaboration, but the benefits are clear,” said Tracy Vitale, superintendent of Seneca Valley School District and a panelist at the forum. “Districts like Seneca Valley that made this transition years ago have seen meaningful improvements in student readiness, engagement and overall health.

“Incentivizing this work can help more Pennsylvania school districts take that step.”

At Seneca Valley, the intermediate and senior high school students start the first period of the day just after 8 a.m. Their day ends before 3 p.m.

Previously, the district had started its first period for the high school students closer to 7:30 a.m. Elementary school students start later than the high school students. The younger students start classes at 8:40 a.m. and wrap up at 3:25 p.m.

The bipartisan house bill, recently moved forward in a 26-0 vote out of the House Education Committee, does not mandate later start times. Instead, it would provide funding through the School Safety and Mental Health Grant Program to schools that voluntarily adopt later times.

“Student success is hampered if they are chronically sleep-deprived,” said state Rep. Jill Cooper, R-55th, the main sponsor of the bill. “This legislation takes a practical approach by leveraging an existing state grant program to provide financial incentives for districts that choose to align their schedules with what science tells us students need.”

The Regional Adolescent Sleep Needs Coalition hosted the forum.

Amy Goldman, one of its co-founders, said recent medical studies have added momentum to efforts to raise awareness over the benefits of later start times. This includes groups like the Centers for Disease Control and the American Medical Association pointing to how early start times can compromise physical and mental health.

“In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics put out a policy statement explaining that too early of start times are completely misaligned with teenage hormonal changes during puberty and the critical phases of sleep that young people of that age need for emotional regulation and memory consolidation are truncated each time we wake our students too early to send them to school,” Goldman said.

Goldman said she has seen resistance due to “preconceived notions” related to how a change might inconvenience students or teachers. Objections can be over things like transportation, high school sports and after-school employment. But the benefits outweigh the concerns, the group said.

While not every school district has the same makeup of size, population or demographics, they can see improvements from a later learning time. This includes improved attendance and higher alertness in students when learning, Goldman said.

“We want to show people that it doesn’t really matter where in Pennsylvania you are or what the demographics and geographics are,” Goldman said. “Every school district can accomplish this in a method that best meets the needs of their communities. And with some luck, there will be some state support if House Bill 2152 gets passed.”