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Darryl Owens: Orange Co. Schools Should Wake Up To Benefits Of Later Start Times

When it comes to teenagers, the early bird does not catch the worm – it should catch more Zs instead. That’s according to a recent American Academy of Pediatrics study inspiring a call for later high school start times from Orange County School Board Chair Bill Sublette. But pushing back class times doesn’t seem popular with other board members.

The study says teens who don’t get enough sleep can face more health problems, car accidents, and declining academics. And going to bed earlier isn’t the answer, since a teen’s natural sleep cycle doesn’t kick in until around 11pm.

Orlando Sentinel columnist and editorial writer Darryl Owens says the school board should stop hitting the snooze button on Sublette's proposal.

Nicole came to Central Florida to attend Rollins College and started working for Orlando’s ABC News Radio affiliate shortly after graduation. She joined WMFE in 2010. As a field reporter, news anchor and radio show host in the City Beautiful, she has covered everything from local arts to national elections, from extraordinary hurricanes to historic space flights, from the people and procedures of Florida’s justice system to the changing face of the state’s economy.