Representative Jonah Wheeler introduced HB184, a bill to create a legislative study commission to examine whether and how school start times in New Hampshire could be moved later. Wheeler said the measure responds to parent and student concerns about early start times and the health and academic impacts of insufficient sleep.

“People have gone to their school boards across the state and have been told…this is such a complex issue that it's the state should study and look at before we can move forward on,” Wheeler said. He described the proposed panel as a vehicle to compile local experiences — for example, districts that have already changed bell schedules — and to advise the legislature on what kinds of statutory or administrative measures could facilitate later start times, if warranted.

More than a dozen witnesses testified in support. Students from Peterborough middle schools described waking at 4–6 a.m. for early buses and said later starts improved attention and mood at schools that have shifted schedules. A parent and mental‑health clinician testified that later starts are associated with better sleep, improved physical and mental health, and reduced injury risk. A track coach and other parent witnesses cited research linking sleep to athletic performance and fewer injuries.

The New Hampshire School Boards Association said it has no objection to a study committee but urged caution about any resulting statewide mandate, calling local scheduling an issue with many district‑specific constraints, including collective‑bargaining language, transportation contracts and career‑technical education schedules.

Committee members raised implementation questions — busing, after‑school athletics, childcare, staffing and teacher schedules. Wheeler and supporters said a statewide study could gather evidence and a range of options; advocates proposed the panel invite superintendents, bus contractors, pediatricians, students and school boards to testify.

No committee vote occurred at the hearing; members asked staff to docket the bill and consider drafting language clarifying the committee’s charge.