LOS ANGELES — Monday is the first day back to school for the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the nation.

Some LAUSD students, and other students throughout the state, will start school later this year.

State bill 328 now requires high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and middle schools no earlier than 8 a.m.

High school junior Clara Hazlitt is glad she has extra time to sleep. She rides the bus to her school, which is 45 minutes away.

“I leave the house at 7ish because my bus stop is really close, but I have to make sure I get there early so I can get the bus on time,” Hazlitt said. “I end up waking up at 6:30.”

Her best friend Allie Cunningham plays sports and performs in plays. The pushed back start time allows her to get more sleep because she usually goes to bed late.

“12 to 1 is usually my time range,” Cunningham said.

The law mandating schools start later was first introduced in 2018 but was vetoed by then Gov. Jerry Brown, who agreed with the California Teachers Association that local communities should decide when the bell rings. But Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it in 2019 with advice from doctors at the American Academy of Pediatrics who say teens need more sleep.

Pediatrician Dr. Cora Breuner said the policy is overdue.

“The earlier start times for teenagers lead to downstream significant issues from sleep deprivation and from not getting enough sleep,” said Breuner, an executive committee member at the Academy of Pediatrics. “Teenagers are supposed to get between 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night.”

Allie’s mother, Becky Cunningham, said her daughter’s school started at 8:30 last year and is glad the time has been pushed back. But she also has a middle schooler, so two drop-offs still mean getting up early.

“My high schooler doesn’t have to start school or be at class until 8:30, we’re probably going to leave home at 7:20 still because I’ve got to drive and get the first kid to class which is about 20 to 25 minutes away from here with LA traffic,” Becky Cunningham said.

State bill 328 was introduced by State Sen. Anthony Portantino.