WEST virginia legislature

2024 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 465

By Senators Oliverio, Azinger, Caputo, Chapman, Clements, Deeds, Hamilton, Hunt, Jeffries, Plymale, Stuart, Swope, Taylor, and Woelfel

[Introduced January 16, 2024; referred
to the Committee on Education]

A BILL to amend of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-1-2a, relating to prohibiting schools from starting an instructional day any earlier than 7:45 a.m.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 1. DEFINITIONS; LIMITATIONS OF CHAPTER; GOALS FOR EDUCATION.

§18-1-2a. Daily start times.

(a) The legislature finds:

(1) Promoting childhood and adolescent well-being is an integral part of academic success:

(2) Sleep deprivation has been shown to negatively affect childhood and adolescent well-being.

(3) There has been clear and convincing evidence produce by the American Psychological Association, the Centers for Disease Control, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health which links sleep deprivation to heightened risk of the following:

(A) Adverse risk behaviors;

(B) Poor health outcomes; and

(C) Poor academic performance.

(4) A comprehensive national study performed by the RAND Corporation found that delaying start of school times would not only have beneficial effects on the well-being of students. but that a delayed start time would also generate economic benefits by increasing potential for success and increasing lifetime earning possibilities for students.

(b) Therefore, notwithstanding any other section of code to the contrary, public schools shall not begin instructional time prior to 7:45am on any given day.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to prohibit schools from starting an instructional day any earlier than 7:45 a.m.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.