Op-Ed: Later School Start Time Petition Update

Terra Snider updates readers on the petition for a later high school start time, a national grassroots effort that began in October in Maryland and was signed by several hundred students and parents of Millburn and Short Hills.

Because of the large number of signers from the Millburn School District, Snider says she s going to hand deliver the petition to Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez and Congressmen Rodney Frelinghuysen and Donald Payne in addition to other members of Congress and the Obama Administration.

A later school start time for high school and even middle school students is on the minds of Millburn parents and the Board of Edcation, which had added it lists of things to address in its strategic plan.

From Terra Snider

Exciting news! We're getting ready to hand deliver the petition for a later school start time to members of Congress and the Obama Administration, starting on  March 7 in honor of National Sleep Awareness Week.

This means we need to get to 5,000 names by March 7. With nearly 3,800 names from all 50 states and DC, we're well on our way, but we need a final push from everyone reading this to get to goal.  So if you haven't already done so, please ask friends and family to sign by sharing the link to the petition with them: 

http://signon.org/sign/promote-legislation-to.fb1?source=s.em.cr&r_by=1525085&mailing_id=2173  

You can cut and paste this petition link into an email and/or post it on your Facebook page--whatever works best for you. Sharing the link with professional listservs/forums is another highly effective way to grow signatures quickly. 

Remember that anyone 13 or over with an email address can sign.
 
If you want to provide information on why this issue matters and about the growing Start School Later movement, you might also considering sharing these recent articles: 

Should School Start Later For Teens? Schoolfamily.com. Feb. 16, 2012
Grassroots Effort for Later Start on National Front. Severna Park Patch. Feb 2, 2012

When I created this petition last fall, I had no idea it would spark a national grassroots coalition (which you can join by going to our website). It's been inspiring to meet so many people from around the country who have been working on this issue, and to discover the power that comes from uniting forces to ensure that all children go to school at safe, healthy hours in which they can learn effectively. 

By keeping up the push for just another two weeks, we finally have a chance to get this long overdue and critical issue on the national radar screen. Thanks to each and every one of you for helping to make that happen.