I used to think school start times should be a local decision - until I spent 15 years working to get my district to delay a 7:17 a.m. school bell that made my children sick and chronically sleep-deprived. Today my children are grown and flown, and nothing has changed.

As a mother I knew instinctively that dragging my teenagers out of bed before sunrise was harmful and counterproductive. As a science writer and historian I knew that the very early bell times that had become standard over past decades were fueling a public health crisis. But over the years I also realized that powerful forces were maintaining the status quo. I also realized that no powerful and sustainable group was motivated to overcome them.

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