Bill Text: IL SR0752 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Encourages all public school districts serving grades 6 through 12 to develop a plan to adopt school start times that reflect the biological sleep needs of adolescents.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-07-02 - Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments [SR0752 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SR0752-Introduced.html

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SR0752 LRB104 21697 RMO 37288 r
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Decades of peer-reviewed research in sleep and
circadian biology led by Dr. Mary Carskadon, PhD, of Brown
University and the National Institutes of Health has
demonstrated that the biological sleep-wake rhythms of
adolescents naturally shift later beginning at puberty, making
early-morning school schedules incompatible with healthy
sleep; and
WHEREAS, This biological shift is not a matter of
preference, motivation, or discipline but reflects changes in
melatonin release and circadian timing that make it
physiologically difficult for adolescents to fall asleep early
enough to obtain adequate rest when schools begin early in the
morning; and
WHEREAS, The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National
Institutes of Health all recognize insufficient sleep in
adolescents as a significant public health issue linked to
increased risk of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation,
substance use, obesity, sports injuries, and motor vehicle
crashes; and
WHEREAS, The American Academy of Pediatrics has formally

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recommended that middle and high schools begin no earlier than
8:30 a.m. in order to align school schedules with adolescent
biology; and
WHEREAS, Longitudinal research led by Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom,
PhD, at the University of Minnesota has followed more than
9,000 students across multiple states and has found that later
school start times are associated with increased sleep
duration, improved attendance, higher academic performance,
reduced depression symptoms, lower rates of substance use, and
significant reductions in teen car crashes; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Wahlstrom's research further shows that while
8:30 a.m. is a meaningful improvement, start times closer to
9:00 a.m. produce the greatest benefits for adolescent health,
learning, and safety; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
has identified later school start times as one of the most
effective population-level strategies for improving adolescent
mental health and reducing injury and mortality; and
WHEREAS, Data from the Illinois Youth Survey and related
state public health sources consistently show high rates of
sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, substance use, and
risk-taking behaviors among Illinois middle and high school

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students; and
WHEREAS, Improving adolescent sleep is a prevention
strategy that supports academic success, mental health,
substance use prevention, and school safety simultaneously;
and
WHEREAS, School districts across Illinois face wide
variation in transportation systems, geography, staffing, and
community needs, making flexible, locally driven
implementation essential; and
WHEREAS, Transportation contracts and school schedules are
regularly re-examined by districts, creating natural
opportunities to realign start times in ways that better
support student health without increasing long-term costs;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we strongly encourage
all public school districts serving grades 6 through 12, in
consultation with local stakeholders and with consideration of
community-specific factors, to assess relevant logistical,
transportation, staffing, and community considerations and to
develop a plan as practicable to adopt school start times that
reflect the biological sleep needs of adolescents by beginning

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middle schools (grades 6-8) no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and high
schools (grades 9-12) no earlier than 8:30 a.m., with
recognition that start times of 9:00 a.m. or later are even
more strongly aligned with adolescent circadian health and
research-based best practices; and be it further
RESOLVED, That school districts are encouraged to
prioritize the adoption of later start times during periods
when transportation contracts, bus routes, or bell schedules
are being reviewed or renegotiated, in order to implement
these changes in a fiscally responsible and operationally
feasible manner; and be it further
RESOLVED, That districts are encouraged to consider later
start times as part of comprehensive strategies to improve
student mental health, reduce substance use, enhance academic
engagement, and promote youth safety; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
delivered to the Illinois Department of Public Health and the
Illinois State Board of Education for distribution to the
school districts.