Bensalem Session To Focus On School Start Times, Student Sleep

BENSALEM, PA — An information session planned in Bensalem will focus on whether school days should start later and the impact that would have on students' sleep.

The session, Sleep and School Start Times, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at the Bensalem High School auditorium. The school is at 4319 Hulmeville Rd.

The event's keynote speaker will be Dr. Jacqueline Kloss, a clinical psychologist who focuses on behavioral sleep medicine with Bryn Mawr Phsychological Associates.

There will be a panel that includes members of the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Advisory Committee on Secondary School Start Times and local school administrators.

Topics for discussion will include:

• Should the school day start later?
• What is the recommended school start time?
• What time should teenagers wake up?
• What time should middle school students wake up?
• How many hours of sleep do teens need?
• Does school starting later improve grades?

The Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission's advisory committee is looking into the possibility of later start times for middle and high schools. According to a senate resolution, the committee will release a report by mid-October.

Bensalem Township School District also is researching the topic.

The public is invited to attend the session and take part in a question-and-answer session with Kloss and the panel.