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MEDIA ADVISORY: San Diego Unified + San Diego Press Club present: January ED Talks

MEDIA ADVISORY: San Diego Unified + San Diego Press Club present: January ED Talks
Posted on 01/30/2020

San Diego Unified School District

San Diego journalists are invited to participate in a special installment of ED Talks, a casual forum hosted by the San Diego Unified School District in collaboration with the San Diego Press Club. The goal is to foster open and robust conversations about public education.

The January forum will feature the district's Healthy Start Times initiative for all high school students in the 2020-21 academic year. High schools throughout the district recently received their new Healthy Start Times for 2020, which range from 8:35 to 8:45 a.m. New data on the potential positive impact of the initiative will be shared based on three schools that conducted a trial implementation of Healthy Start Times this school year. La Jolla High School is among the early implementation schools.

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 31, 2020 11:45 a.m.

WHERE: La Jolla High School media center, 750 Nautilus St., La Jolla. Please check in with the front office.

SPEAKERS: Dr. Howard Taras, district physician and professor of pediatrics, UCSD; Chief Business Officer Greg Ottinger; Board of Education President John Lee Evans; La Jolla High students and staff

Background: Why the move to later start times for high schools? On Feb. 12, 2019, the Board of Education approved a resolution to implement Healthy Start Times based on scientific research on teens and sleep. Conclusive evidence shows that later start times are linked to increased student attendance, improved academic performance, and most importantly, student health.

Since San Diego Unified approved Healthy Start Times, California Senate Bill 328 was signed into law, bringing state policy in line with district goals. Under the new law, California high schools are prohibited from starting classes before 8:30 a.m. Middle schools may not start before 8 a.m. under the new state law.

Insufficient sleep among teens has been associated with a wide variety of adverse outcomes, from poor mental and physical health to behavioral problems and lower academic grades. The Society of Behavioral Medicine, the National Association of School Nurses, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the NCAA Sport Science Institute all support later start times. More information can be found here: https://sites.google.com/a/sandi.net/oss/oss/healthy-start-times

This event is for professional journalists. Please confirm attendance in advance by replying to this email or by calling 619-725-5578.

Media Contact: Communications Director Maureen Magee (619) 381-7930