Smart Start Guilford

The science is clear: it is unhealthy for adolescents to start school before 8:30am.  The current GHS start time (7:40am) means bus pick-ups before 7am and wake-up times before 6am, the biological equivalent of asking an adult to get up at 3 or 4am.  Teenage sleep deprivation has been shown to contribute to drowsy driving accidents, worse grades and test scores, and poor mental health.  We must do better.

Smart Start Guilford was founded to advocate for data-driven changes to school start times, the most important systemic improvement we can make to our children's lives.  At its May 11, 2026 meeting (see sections #11 and #12 in the minutes), the Guilford BOE committed to forming a task force to study this issue and make recommendations.  Now is the time to rally community support for this initiative!

Start School Later has launched a CT-focused effort to create statewide change: Healthy Hours Connecticut Initiative. 

As part of the first phase of that effort, Smart Start Guilford has sponsored two events in CT that are free for all to attend (registration required):

1. "The Hidden Power of Sleep" at Yale in New Haven on Oct 1, 2026.

2. "Getting to Yes — and Getting It Done, A Workshop on Later School Start Times" at Trinity College in Hartford on October 13, 2026.