What I’ve Learned from Getting School Start Time Laws Passed (and Why It’s Still So Hard)

Hard-won lessons from a public health advocate working for policies to protect kids

I didn’t set out to become a policy advocate. I just knew that forcing teens to get up and off to school before sunrise was hurting them—and that something had to change. What I didn’t know then was how complex, political, and deeply personal this fight would become. After years in the trenches of education reform and public health advocacy, I’m sharing the hard-won lessons I’ve learned about school start times, adolescent sleep, and the systems that resist change—even when the science is clear and the stories are heartbreaking.

Learning by Doing

When I first started advocating for healthier school start times, I didn’t know the difference between a bill sponsor and a committee chair. I didn’t know how a hearing worked, or what “local control” really meant. I just knew that forcing teenagers to get up and out to school before sunrise was hurting them—and that something had to change.

Fast forward to today: over half of all U.S. states have introduced legislation addressing adolescent sleep and school start times. Thirteen of those laws have passed.

That’s progress. But it hasn’t been easy. Or enough.

If you’re thinking about pushing for policy change in your own state—or just wondering why it takes so long—here are some of the hard-won lessons I’ve learned along the way.

1. Every State Legislature Is Its Own Beast

Some state legislatures are full-time, some part-time. Some sessions run for a few months, some every other year, and others for two years at a time. You need to know when bills can be introduced, who can introduce them, and what deadlines matter. Learn the terrain before you start climbing.

2. Find the Right Legislator

Getting a bill introduced is one thing. Getting it championed is another. You need someone who believes in the issue enough to spend political capital on it—and not just introducing it to placate you as a consituent. Bonus points if they have enough clout to expend on this cause.

3. Find a Committed and Reliable Liaison

Some legislators will take the reins and let you know how and when to make phones calls or submit testimony. Others will expect you to do the research, draft the bill, and rally the troops. Either way, you need someone (preferably someone who lives close to the state capital) who can navigate between the legislator’s office and your advocacy base.

4. Get Your Ducks in a Row

Before introducing a bill, build a base of energized supporters. You’ll need them to testify, contact legislators, write op-eds, and mobilize quickly. A strong email list and clear calls to action are invaluable.

5. Engage Allies

Legislators pass bills when they see political upside. That means visible support from constituents—and support (or at least silence) from powerful groups like unions, school boards, children’s hospitals, and professional associations.

6. Be Ready to Pivot—Fast

Hearings get rescheduled. Sponsors ask for data overnight (and sometimes right from the chamber). Opponents mobilize unexpectedly. You’ll need to respond quickly with testimony, editorials, social media campaigns, or new talking points. Agility is everything.

7. Keep the Science Front and Center—But Cement it with Stories

The research is clear: early start times harm kids—and any school that puts kids and research first can find a feasible way to start at healthier hours. But data alone doesn’t change votes. What helps? Real stories from students, teachers, and parents. Use science to anchor your message, but use stories to make that message stick.

8. Understand—and Strategically Counter—Backroom Opposition

Change is scary. And well-funded resistance—from school boards, superintendents, and teacher unions—often operates behind the scenes. These groups may not speak publicly until a bill gains traction, and sometimes not even then. Bills can be killed despite pitch-perfect advocacy and no visible opposition, thanks to quiet lobbying and backroom deals. Sometimes compromise helps. Sometimes just getting opponents to stay silent is sufficient. Either way, stay alert, stay strategic, and never underestimate resistance. Keep repeating: this is about the kids, and the science.

9. PTAs Can Help—Or Hurt

National and state PTAs may support healthy school hours in theory, but local PTAs often resist specific changes. Many are led by elementary school parents worried about childcare or sibling schedules, or who simply don’t understand why changing their already hectic lives is worthwhile. Education and outreach to hear concerns and come up with creative solutions and compromises are key.

10. Teachers and Their Unions Are Complicated

Many teachers know early start times are harmful—but personal concerns (childcare, traffic, second jobs) often take precedence. Contract negotiations can also complicate things. It’s often luck-of-the-draw in terms of who holds the reins, but upfront effort to dispel myths and misconceptions and even assure teachers that this change benefits them can go a long way.

11. Students Are Powerful Advocates—But They Graduate

Bills sparked by student groups often lose momentum when those students move on. Legislators may lose interest too. That’s why long-term adult leadership and institutional memory are essential.

12. Money Isn’t Always the Problem—Will Is

Even when funding is available, districts will resist change (or laws requiring them to change) unless they believe their communities support it. Effective legislation must include strategies to help school leaders build public buy-in and educate stakeholders about why it matters and why it benefits them.

13. This Is Hard Work

Once a bill is introduced, the real work begins: letter-writing campaigns, petitions, co-sponsor recruitment, testimony coordination, and vote tracking. And that’s just for one committee. If the bill moves to the floor, the campaign must scale up. I won’t lie: asking volunteers to keep at this for the many years often involved is asking a lot, especially when no one stands to benefit financially from a change—and lots of people think they stand to lose.

Beyond Policy

As valuable as these lessons have been, and continue to be, I also have to remind myself that this fight isn’t just about legislative mechanics or political endurance. It’s about confronting a system that harms kids unnecessarily—and choosing, again and again, to do something about it. The science is undeniable. The stories are heartbreaking. And the consequences of inaction are too great.

Every day we delay, more students suffer, more families struggle, and more lives are put at risk.

So we don’t wait. We organize. We testify. We push. We persist.

Because when the system won’t wake up on its own, we have to be the alarm.