New start times for Merced Union High school students next year. Here’s what’s happening

Merced Union high schools will start their school days at 8:30 a.m. beginning next school year, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Newsom signed Senate Bill 328 into law in 2019. The Merced Union High School Board approved the new 2022-23 bell schedules during the April board meeting.

Research shows that teenagers perform better in school when the school day at the high school level starts at 8:30 a.m.

The new law, which goes into effect in July, prohibits high schools from starting before 8:30 a.m. and middle schools from starting before 8 a.m. “Zero period” classes that begin before the first period won’t be affected.

District officials point to extra sleep time for students as a big reason to adopt the new, later bell schedules for the next school year. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that sleep deprivation in teens leads to absenteeism, lower grades, high dropout rates, and increased risk of depression.

“The health and well-being of our students is a top priority at MUHSD,” said Superintendent Alan Peterson. “While there’s a lot more to this than just pushing the times back, the idea is that this measure will help improve success in the classroom, and that’s something worth overcoming any logistical issues.”

The California Teachers Association opposed the change, saying it was well-intentioned but could have unintended consequences on local communities and working families. “There are simply far too many local factors to consider when deciding our school start times,” the CTA said in a callout to Newsom before the bill passed. “Young people growing up in San Francisco have different challenges than children in Tehachapi.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 13 to 18-year-olds sleep between 8 and 10 hours, yet less than a third of high schoolers are getting that on school nights. In 2014, the AAP recommended both middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Many area school districts already start later – Fresno Unified, one of the largest school districts in the state, begins after 8 a.m., along with Clovis schools. However, others, like Central Unified, start at 7:25 a.m.

New bell schedules for the MUHSD are available on the school district website.

This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 5:16 PM.