April 27-28, 2017 ● Washington, DC

Catherine Darley, ND

Maida Lynn Chen, MD

Seattle Public Schools: Can the “big city” do it?

SSL Seattle: A Coalition of Advocates

• 3 main organizers:

- Cindy Jatul, teacher

- managed petition, outreach to district and state teachers union, outreach to stakeholder organizations, media contact

- Dianne Casper, Seattle PTSA parent

- School Board & District staff outreach & background understanding, engage PTSA

- Catherine Darley, sleep specialist

- engaged sleep & health community, organized editorial campaign, organizedBoard meeting speakers

• Built on strengths and connections of each organizer

• Clear roles and responsibilities developed organically

SSL Seattle: Our Strategy

• Build community engagement and support via multi-modal approach to all stakeholders, including:

- School Board

- Superintendent(s)

- Teachers Union

- School Nurses Association

- District and school PTSAs

- Parents

- Advocacy organizations

- Media

- City Council

SSL Seattle: 2012

• January - Petition to Start School Later Seattle started (in response to Dept of Transportation setting new bell times)

• March – Press release

• April – School Board meeting. Petition, reference list of medical research supporting later start times, letter of support from sleep medicine community presented. Comments in support by parents, teachers, sleep experts

• November – Leaders met with Superintendent; Wa State PTA passes resolution

• Ongoing – SSL supporters met with Board members at their individual monthly meetings

SSL Seattle: 2013

• April – Again met with Superintendent who agreed to appoint staff person to issue

• May – appeal to City Council members as “we are at a roadblock”

• June – Letter from sleep specialists to Superintendent

• Periodic - push of petition to get additional signatures via social media networks, email blasts via leaders contact lists, organizations such as PTSA as possible

• Ongoing – comments at Board meetings by parents, teachers, healthcare providers as possible (comments possible only on action items)

• Periodic – press release and outreach to media

• Spring – an SSL leader participated in the Transportation task force which determined bell times could be flipped in a cost-neutral way

• Summer – School Board elections upcoming, met with all candidates individually

• October – Op-Ed in Seattle Times; resolution passed by Seattle Council PTSA

Date & Time Event Location Parent 1 Parent 2 Student Educator

Sleep Pro 1 Sleep Pro 2

1/18, 10-11:30 Blanford Douglass-Truth Library, 2300 E Yesler Way Dianne C Karin B son Cindy J

1/18, 11-1 Martin-Morris Montlake Library, 2401 24th Ave E

1/22, 5p Board meeting John Sanford Center Dan G Dianne C Cindy J Darley Horacio

1/25, 10a-12 Patu Caffe Vita, 5028 Wilson Ave S Dianne C Sarah O Darley

1/28, 8:45-10:15 McLaren Highland Park Elementary Chen

2/1, 11a-12:30 Peters Q.A. Library, 400 W Garfield St

2/5, 5p Board meeting Landis Ball

2/8, 8:30-10a Carr 8023 Green Lake Dr Horacio

2/15, 10-11:30 Blanford Douglass-Truth Library, 2300 E Yesler Way

2/15, 11-1 Martin-Morris Montlake Library, 2401 24th Ave E Sarah O Bruce

3/5, 5p Board meeting KathleenBallard students?

SEA resolution Bandla Nurse

3/8, 8am Carr Darley

Presenting Broad Support – Get Organized!

SSL Seattle: 2014

• January – School Board meeting. Parents, teachers, health professionals make comments

• February – Story in Seattle Times; El Centro de la Raza endorses

• March – 17 sleep experts pledge to assist district in education efforts

• March – At School Board work retreat, senior staff member does not have the bell time work timeline ready as requested 3 months previous

• Summer – Teen sleep training for principals

• November – Press release

SSL Seattle: 2015 and Beyond

• Feb 2015 – Op-Ed in Puget Sound Business Journal; Town Hall presentation

• March – Letter to Superintendent from sleep community; Seattle NAACP endorses

• May 2015 – Meeting set with Superintendent. He stops by to say he can’t meet

• May – Endorsement of SSL Seattle by some City Council members

• May – Press release

• April, May, October, Nov – School Board comments by all stakeholders

• Summer – Teen sleep training for senior district staff

• October – Op-Ed in Seattle Times

• November – Letter to Board from sleep community; Board passes resolution!

Bell Time Task Force Nov 2104 – June 2015: Charter

• Deliverable = report • Superintendent to

use report AND ”other important data”

Bell Time Analysis Time Line: Task Force

11/13/2014 6/18/2015

12/1/2014 1/1/2015 2/1/2015 3/1/2015 4/1/2015 5/1/2015 6/1/2015

11/13/2014

First Task Force Meeting

1/22/2015

Presentation: Transportation

1/8/2015

Presentation: Race & Equity

2/12/2015

Presentation: Master Scheduling

2/26/2015

Presentation: Athletics, Parks & Rec, Before/After School Programs*

3/12/2015

Presentation: Implementation in Other DistrictsFollow-up on the previous four meetings

4/9/2015

Presentation: Data Collection / AnalysisDiscussion on Task Force development of recommendation

5/14/2015

Discussion of RecommendationNeighbor-to-Neighbor (N2N) Outcome Data

Bell Time Analysis Task Force – Timeline

4/9/2015 - 5/14/2015

Review Available Bell Time Data and Analysis

1/22/2015 - 2/12/2015

N2N Sub-group: Review Script Priorities12/11/2014

Presentation: Sleep Research

* February 26, 2015 Task Force Meeting will be 3 hours (4:30 PM to 7:30 PM)

Ver1.27.15

6/11/2015

Final Task Force Meeting

5/14/2015 - 6/11/2015

Recommendation Sub-Group: Write Recommendation

WeWereonly shown this

Not aware of only 3 options; not shown this timeline initially

Bell Time Analysis Time Line: the whole picture

Bell Times Task Force: Members

Bell Times Task Force: “other data”

Community engagement

• CONCOMITTANT to Task Force Meetings, input from community was being collected• Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) outreach programs

• Bell Time Family Survey • Only 3 options were presented to family, and families asked to

endorse one.• Arrival Times inbox (e-mail)

• Unclear what other sources had direct input to decision

Bell Time Task Force Charter

• 3 options presented via Family Survey (No other options allowed)

START TIMES CURRENT STATE OPTION 1: MODIFIED FLIP

OPTION 2: EXTENDING HIGH SCHOOLDAY

OPTION 3:NO CHANGE

ELEMENTARY START

END

Tier 2/38:40 OR 9:302:50 OR 3:40

Tier 1/28:00 OR 8:502:00 OR 3:00

Tier 2/38:40 OR 9:302:50 OR 3:40

Tier 2/38:40 OR 9:302:50 OR 3:40

K-8 & MIDDLESTART

END

Tier 1/2/37:50 OR 8:40 OR 9:302:20 OR 3:10 OR 4

Tier 28:503:00

Tier 1/2/37:50 OR 8:40 OR 9:302:20 OR 3:10 OR 4

Tier 1/2/37:50 OR 8:40 OR 9:302:20 OR 3:10 OR 4

HIGHSTART

END

Tier 1/27:50 OR 8:402:20-3:10

Tier 39:404:10

Tier 1/27:50 OR 8:402:20 OR 3:10

Tier 1/27:50 OR 8:402:20-3:10

Bell Time Task Force: Hurdles

• Not clear by charter or leadership that Superintendent would only consider 1 of these 3 preselected options.• E.g., we spent our time arguing for Two Tiers when this was never really an option

• Majority of district communications to Community had negative spin to change, with no TF oversight or input

• TF members were rarely given raw data, rather aggregated summary data• E.g., TF members conducted an independent transportation costs analyses, which

placed cost of merging into Two Tiers at $1.6 million vs. $20 million.

• Data in final analyses from Community were not available to Task Force at end

Bell Time Task Force: Decision Criteria

• Sleep: Optimize health and meet AAP criteria?• Equity: Is choice equitable, help to close achievement gap, lower disproportionate

disciplinary actions?• Transportation: address all students’ needs and safety?• Scheduling: allow credit and hours for graduation? Meet needs for those using

breakfast/ lunch programs? • Before/After school care: impact on joint use agreement with Parks & Rec? Users of

shared facilities? Before/after school care programs?• Athletics: Meet needs of student athletes, WIAA and interschool competition?

Minimize missed instructional time for athletic events?• Family: Schoolwork and sibling care consideration? Graduation and attendance rates?• Budget: neutral? Best use of funds?

• Modified Flip

• But really, Two Tier Option

Bell Times Task Force: Final Recommendations -- June 2015

SSL Seattle: 2015 and Beyond

• Feb 2015 – Op-Ed in Puget Sound Business Journal; Town Hall presentation

• March – Letter to Superintendent from sleep community; Seattle NAACP endorses

• May 2015 – Meeting set with Superintendent. He stops by to say he can’t meet

• May – Endorsement of SSL Seattle by some City Council members

• May – Press release

• April, May, October, Nov – School Board comments by all stakeholders

• Summer – Teen sleep training for senior district staff

• October – Op-Ed in Seattle Times

• November – Letter to Board from sleep community; Board passes resolution!

SSL Seattle: 2015 continued, “other data” ongoing

• Initial draft of school start times included most elementary in Tier 1 except for Title I schools, with HS in Tier 2 and Middle school in Tier 3

• Meet American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended start time for adolescents

• Prioritize Title 1 programs to earlier tiers to support district equity considerations

• Maximize the number of schools in Tier 1 and 2

• Be Transportation Cost Neutral

Final Bell Time schedule for 2016-2017: November 2015

Applause for all…..but only for a moment.

How do we actually make this happen?????

Bell Time Implementation Task Force

Bell Times Implementation Task Force

Bell Times Implementation: Special Considerations

• Schools Opting in or out of Tier 3

• After school care and activities for elementary

• Nutrition: enough time for lunch? Free/reduced breakfast and lunch programs?

• Athletics and Joint use agreement

• Safe Routes and Transportation

• Communication planning for 2016 school year start.

• Final report largely endorsed need for consideration to these issues; most implementation work happened outside this Committee

What’s happening now

• SPS extending school day by 20 minutes (+10 min AM, +10 min PM)

• Families unhappy about 7:45 elementary school start time and late dismissal time for high school

• Funding of a Two Tier system• Through City funds

• Major budget deficit (~$50 million)

• Outcomes research, especially in the elementary school children

Slept 8+ hours on average school night

2014

2016

8th Grade 55% 50%

10th Grade 31% 29%

12th Grade 23% 20%

29

Slept 8+ hours on average school night

2014

2016

8th Grade 53% 58%

10th Grade 31% 43%

12th Grade 24% 33%

Washington State

Seattle Public Schools

Healthy Youth Survey Results: October 2016

Seattle SSL: Lessons Learned

• Develop a broad base of support among all stakeholders

• Have a leader in each group who can mobilize them

• Get specific with requests for supporters to take action

• Expect the effort to take years longer than you expect, and plan for that by engaging many volunteers and stewarding your energy

• Understand that data and evidence is not driving this decision for many people

• Expect opposition to come from unexpected groups

What we could have done better:

• Engage communities of color and low-economic status