Legislation passed in Maryland creates a program of recognition for schools that start after 8:30am.

As described in an article in the Huffington Post, Maryland has passed legislation that will recognize schools with later start times with an orange ribbon.

Advocates for later start time point to research that middle and high school students should start school after 8:30 a.m. to allow for a healthy amount of sleep and alertness.

Maryland was the first state to pass legislation to study the issue, according to the article which was written by Terra Ziporyn Snider, PhD, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Start School Later, Inc.

As described by Dr. Snider,

Rather than requiring districts to change bell times, the Orange Ribbon Program establishes three levels of recognition, with the top level of award reserved for districts where middle or high schools start class no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and elementary schools no earlier than 8 a.m. unless bus runs start after 7 a.m.

For more information, see Maryland Ties Orange Ribbon On Sleep-Friendly Schools from the Huffington Post.