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Libertyville High School students urge Illinois bill to shift high school start times to 8:45 a.m.; board offers to help advocate
Summary
Students from the Libertyville High School Youth Connect Council urged the CHSD 128 board Feb. 24 to support House Bill 2951, which the students said would require high schools statewide to start no earlier than 8:45 a.m.
A delegation from the Libertyville High School Youth Connect Council (YCC) asked the Community High School District 128 Board of Education on Feb. 24 to support House Bill 2951 (HB 2951), legislation that — as presented by the students — would require Illinois high schools to start no earlier than 8:45 a.m.
Brenda Nelson, prevention and wellness program coordinator and sponsor for the YCC, introduced the student speakers. Student presenters described adolescent circadian rhythm research and cited national examples and medical groups to support later start times. One student summarized the council’s case: “Having a school start time of 08:45AM or later would allow students to get the rest they need and ultimately help students thrive in and out of school.”
The students told the board that five YCC members plan to travel to Springfield in March to meet with the House education committee and other legislators to advocate for HB 2951. The presenters said Representative Laura Favor Dias sponsored the bill on the students’ behalf and asked for the board’s support.
Board members expressed interest in assisting the students’ advocacy. The board president asked the students to provide additional materials to the district office so the board could consider taking a formal advocacy step through the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), which accepts proposed legislative priorities from member districts. The transcript records the board president saying he would “love to be able to put that through as something that we would advocate for on your behalf” and suggested routing materials to the IASB process.
During a question-and-answer exchange, students acknowledged that a statewide mandate would likely change dismissal and extracurricular schedules but noted that bills in other states provided multi-year implementation windows. The YCC presenters cited California and Florida rules for later high school start times (the students said California law requires no earlier than 8:30 a.m.) and referenced research, including an American Academy of Pediatrics study, associating later start times with better attendance and fewer teen car crashes.
Clarifying details from the presentation and Q&A: the students asked the board to support HB 2951 (referred to by the presenters as house bill 2951) and said their planned Springfield trip is scheduled for March (year not specified in the transcript). The students reported that CHSD 128 previously moved its start time in 2018 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and that the YCC first convened in 2019.
The board did not take a formal legislative action at the Feb. 24 meeting; rather, members asked for materials and discussed using the IASB process to consider a formal advocacy request.
