Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Despite Last-Minute Changes, Senate Bill Deals Big Blow to Renewable Energy

11 hours ago

Trump-Backed Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Passes US Senate

13 hours ago

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Says CNN May Be Prosecuted Over Report on Migration App

13 hours ago

Israeli Officials to Hold Ceasefire Talks in Washington Amid Military Escalation in Gaza

14 hours ago

Trump Escalates Feud With Musk, Threatens Tesla, SpaceX Support

14 hours ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

1 day ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

1 day ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

2 days ago
School Bells Will Keep Ringing Early Thanks to Gov. Brown Veto
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
September 21, 2018

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Thursday requiring that California middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., saying the decision of when to start classes should be up to schools not the state.
Supporters of the bill cited research that says delaying school start times could result in better grades, attendance and graduation rates.

Research Shows Teens Need More Sleep

A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics said insufficient sleep for teens was “an important public health issue that significantly affects the health and safety” of adolescents.
State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, who carried SB328, cited that study and one by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that both suggested schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later to help students get the optimal amount of sleep of at least eight hours a night.
Middle and high schools in California start their school day on average at 8:07 a.m., according to the CDC study.

Critics: Kids Should Hit the Sack Earlier

Critics of the La Canada-Flintridge Democrat’s legislation say kids could just go to bed earlier.
But it’s not so simple, the CDC study said, noting that as adolescents go through puberty their biological rhythms typically shift so they get sleepy later at night.
“The combination of delayed bedtimes and early school start times results in inadequate sleep for a large portion of the adolescent population,” said the CDC study. It found that approximately 70 percent of high-schoolers do not get sufficient sleep.
Opponents of the bill don’t dispute the research but said school boards should decide how to run their schools, which Brown agreed with.
“This is a one-size-fits-all approach that is opposed by teachers and school boards,” Brown said in a statement Thursday, noting that several schools have already moved to later start times while others prefer to start the school day earlier. “These are the types of decisions best handled in the local community.”

Teachers Union Fought the Legislation

The California School Boards Association and the California Teachers Association were among those that fought the legislation. They argued for local control, saying schools should be the ones to assess their communities’ needs given the diversity of California’s school districts.
Eric Heins, president of the CTA, said later start times could also result in unintended costs and consequences, particularly for working parents who might have to arrange childcare or struggle to get to work on time if dropping their kids at school later. There could also be added costs to school districts if they needed to pay for additional buses to accommodate the time changes, he said.
Opponents had rejected a different version of the legislation last year. A revised bill, which added an exemption for rural school districts, passed the Legislature in August.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

DON'T MISS

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

DON'T MISS

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

DON'T MISS

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

DON'T MISS

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

DON'T MISS

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

UP NEXT

CA Rolls Back Its Landmark Environmental Law to Speed Housing Construction

UP NEXT

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Buying a Home With Solar? Beware of CA Bill Written by Former Utility Co. Exec

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles Over Immigration Enforcement

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Immigration Raids Leave Crops Unharvested, California Farms at Risk

UP NEXT

CA’s Population Shrank in Trump’s First Immigration Crackdown. It Could Happen Again

UP NEXT

Controversial Climate Rule That Could Raise Gas Prices About to Take Effect

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

6 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

6 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

6 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

6 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

7 hours ago

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

8 hours ago

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

8 hours ago

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

8 hours ago

Jury Reaches Verdict on Some Counts at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Trafficking Trial

8 hours ago

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

8 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration released about 150 National Guard troops on Tuesday in the first pullback since it dispatched a milit...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

An Israeli military convoy manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
5 hours ago

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

Abel Joel Garcia Zarate, 39, of Biola, was arrested Sunday, June, 30, 2025, in Madera County on suspicion of starting a wildfire just hours after crews responded to a separate blaze sparked by farm equipment. (Madera County SO)
6 hours ago

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

6 hours ago

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERSStringerFile Photo
6 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

6 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

Lara Trump looks on during Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump's rally, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 13, 2025. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend