Orange Ribbon for Healthy School Hours (Maryland)
A Maryland law passed in 2016 created a state certificate from the Maryland State Department of Education for school systems whose start times match health advice: elementary classes no earlier than 8 a.m. and middle and high school no earlier than 8:30 a.m. To earn it, districts must also hold televised public forums on sleep and start times; lesser 'honorable mention' and 'commended' levels reward a task force and progress. It gives recognition only, with no money or mandate.
- Years
- 2016–now
- Country
- United States
- Topic
- Child healthSleep
- Asks people to
- Support a policy
- Strategy
- Contest incentivePolicy paired
- Channel
- EventsSchoolTV
- Audience
- General publicParentsYouthMaryland local school systems, students, parents, teachers and staff
Evidence
NoneUnknown
No evaluation found; how many districts have been certified was not found.
Sponsor (who paid)
- Maryland State Department of Education State local government, runs the certification
- Maryland General Assembly (HB 39 / SB 224, 2016) State local government
- Start School Later NGO, advocacy; hosts MSDE toolkit
Credits (who made it)
Not recorded yet.
Related campaigns
- Start School Later 2011–now
Sources
Research notes
Created 2026-10-24 by an AI research pass for #103 (G1); not reviewed by a person. Effective 1 July 2016; certification began in the 2017-2018 school year. Current status of the programme and certified districts not checked; MSDE criteria document (State Board, 27 Sept 2016) seen in search only. Start School Later's MSDE toolkit page needs a login. Strategy 'contest-incentive' is the nearest id for a recognition award. To verify: 2016, 2017-2018, 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 7:00/7:30 a.m. bus times.
Record cases/md-orange-ribbon-healthy-school-hours.json, updated 2026-10-24· Link to this campaign