California was the first state to mandate that high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Pediatrician Dr. Bert Mandelbaum hopes New Jersey will be the second.
New Jersey is one of several states exploring later school start times, as educators and health professionals grapple with concerns about the pandemic’s impact on youth’s mental health.
“I think we’re at the right time that people are willing to listen and do the right thing for kids,” Mandelbaum, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics New Jersey chapter’s Task Force on Adolescent Sleep & School Start Times, told ABC News. “I think the pandemic heightened everyone’s awareness of the mental health needs.”
