Prohibiting schools from starting earlier than 7:45 am

Senate Bill 53 prohibits West Virginia public schools from starting instructional days before 7:45 a.m. The bill directly affects all public K-12 schools in the state by establishing a mandatory minimum start time. It creates a new law (§18-1-2a) that overrides any existing provisions allowing earlier start times, based on findings linking early start times to sleep deprivation and negative impacts on student well-being, health, and academic performance. This policy change requires schools to adjust schedules to meet the 7:45 a.m. deadline for the start of the school day.