Opinion: One hand raised for later school start times in California

To the editor: I applaud state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) for introducing legislation requiring middle schools and high schools in California to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. (“California lawmakers shouldn’t dictate when the school day starts,” editorial, Feb. 24)

I am a recently retired educator who worked at a middle school where the starting time was 7:30 a.m. I witnessed students arriving late, half asleep or not having eaten anything. They did not perform well early in the morning.

The legislation as written does not have an implementation date. I believe it should have a three-year grace period before mandated implementation, thereby allowing districts to make changes to their collective bargaining agreements. Additionally, state legislation should be changed allowing after-school program funds to be used by districts for before-school services like homework centers and study halls.

The problems with this proposal can be worked out. This topic has been studied, and later start times result in better achievement and student behavior. Isn’t that what we want for our schools?

Chris Cornell, La Crescenta

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook