School start times: How well-rested are students in Illinois?
Students at Cuba High School in Cuba, Illinois Emily Hays/IPM News
In 2022, the CDC estimated more than a third of adults in Illinois didn’t get enough sleep. For teens in Illinois specifically, those numbers skyrocketed. In 2021, the CDC’s estimate was that about 80% – four out of every five – of the state’s high school students aren’t getting the rest they need.
It’s a trend doctors have been sounding the alarm about for a long time. A bit more than a decade ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement saying that middle schoolers and high schoolers shouldn’t begin their classes before 8:30 a.m.
A panel of experts involved in the field of education across the state discuss why school start times are what they are, and whether they should, or even could, change. Some sleep experts weigh in as well.
GUESTS
Dr. Lindsay McCullough
Sleep Medicine Physician, Rush University Medical Center
Dr. Stephanie Crowley
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director of Pediatric Chronobiology and Sleep Research Program
Rush University
Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat
Superintendent, Peoria Public Schools
Kathy Marshall
Regional School Superintendent, ROE 28 (serving Bureau, Henry and Stark Counties)
Mike Sitch
Teacher, Champaign Central High School
Co-president, Champaign Federation of Teachers
Joseph Neela
Junior, Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire
