If you listen closely in mid-August, when the 2022-2023 school year starts in California, you might just hear it: the sound of teenagers across the state hitting snooze in unison. That’s because on July 1, a new law went into effect that pushes middle and high school start times throughout the state. Legislators hope this change will improve academic and health outcomes for the state’s teens.
Senate Bill 328 passed handily in the California legislature in 2019 before being signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The new law states that “the schoolday for high schools, including high schools operated as charter schools, shall begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The schoolday for middle schools, including middle schools operated as charter schools, shall begin no earlier than 8:00 a.m.” Exceptions are made for “rural districts” in the state.
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