LA County senator proposes bill to start middle, high schools later

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A local state senate member proposed a bill that would require all California school districts to start middle and high school classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Sen. Anthony Portatino, who represents the state's 25th District in Los Angeles County, introduced the bill Monday. In a press release, Portatino cites an American Academy of Pediatrics study as part of the reasoning for his bill.

In 2014, the APA advised school districts to change start times because studies showed that a lack of sleep was a health risk for teenagers and could affect their academic success.

School districts that adopted the time change found a decrease in absences, better grades and test scores, students paid more attention and teens were less depressed, according to the study.

California has nearly 3 million middle and high school students.