the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, RHS Principal Tom Gorman, Assistant Principal for Guidance Jeff Nyhuis and Supervisor of Athletics Keith Cook presented research on later start times for students. Their overview included information from the NJ Department of Education and The American Academy of Pediatrics that suggests students need nine hours of sleep each night. The many positive benefits of extra sleep are counterbalanced by obstacles of busing, athletic schedules and child care. RHS will be conducting more research via a survey of students and parents / guardians, and also is exploring other means of improving quality sleep such as encouraging limits on social media and screen time. Improvements at RHS already in place include enrichment mornings for staff that occur several times per year and allow students to sleep in; a built-in free period that gives 825 students a sleep-in once per week; and stress management exercises taught in wellness classes. The slide portion of the presentation may be viewed here.