Sleep specialist backing RFK Jr.'s MAHA movement pushes to change school start times in America
Washington, D.C. – A sleep expert who is backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement is pushing for something he says people aren't talking about enough: sleep.
Jeffrey Rose, a New York-based clinical hypnotist and sleep specialist, is a friend and longtime supporter of Kennedy, who was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday as Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary in President Donald Trump's cabinet.
"[The MAHA] movement means a lot to me because I'm preaching health all the time," said Rose in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Rose said there is chronic sleep deprivation across the country, but more specifically in students.
"These high school kids are not able to be sharp and focus and to learn, it doesn't matter how good the schools are or the teachers or the reputation. Kids are exhausted in school."
Teenagers ages 13 through 17 should sleep 8-to-10 hours per 24 hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"We need to get the kids an opportunity to get nine hours [of] sleep, which is impossible right now," shared Rose.
Rose started the Rockland County, New York, chapter of "Start Schools Later" – an organization made up of clinical professionals working to push back the start times in high schools across the U.S.
"There's no greater reform we can make for high school education," he said.
Rose said lack of sleep in its own way is a "gateway drug" with the side effects spilling into students leaning on relaxants like alcohol and marijuana, and then Adderall or Ritalin to focus.
The most current data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), developed by the CDC, showed that 77.3% of high school students reported not getting enough sleep on school nights.
"When [schools start later] you get less sickness because people are showing up with strong immune systems, less absenteeism, less car accidents, better sports outcomes, better. Everything is performed much better." said Rose.
"With the exception of Dr. Oz, I haven't heard too many people talking about sleep…I have talked to Bobby [RFK Jr.] about that, and he's listening to that."
"Now that he doesn't have to focus on getting confirmed, I could talk about the issues that are important to us, important to me, important to America," Rose added.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
In 2022, California became the first state to mandate later school start times, with middle schools starting no earlier than 8 AM and high schools starting no earlier than 8:30 AM, according to the National Education Association (NEA).
Florida passed similar legislation in 2023, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Beginning in 2026, public schools are to start no earlier than 8:30 AM for high schools and 8 AM for middle schools, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine reported.
A new bill (SB 296) filed in January by Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, seeks to undo these start times before they take effect next year.
Supporters in favor of later start times feel it improves student focus and health, while those not in favor argue that it will impact working parents and conflict with after-school activities, FOX 35 Orlando reported.
"Still, later school start times can have ripple effects in school districts and the impact will not be felt equally by all students, families and educators. Addressing these potential drawbacks and listening to all stakeholders is critical, experts say, before districts take this step," the NEA's site states.
The NEA reported that a 2021 University of Minnesota study focused on 18,000 students in grades 5 through 11 showed grade point averages increased by 0.1 points, on average, after school start times were pushed.
"While the researchers categorized the sleep benefits as 'large,' the academic improvements were considered 'small,'" the NEA wrote.
A 2022 study published in the Journal of School Health said students in Colorado "felt less stressed and more rested three years after high schools started 70 minutes later and middle schools began 40-to-60 minutes later," according to the same source.
"Later start time initiatives focus on middle and high school students because that is the age group more susceptible to the ill effects of inadequate sleep."
Fox News Digital reached out to "Start Schools Later" for comment.
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