Jilly Dos Santos, a 17-year-old high school student in Columbia, MO, has convinced her school to push its start time back so students can get more sleep -- and other schools are following her advice. 

According to The Huffington Post, Dos Santos was outraged when she found out her school proposed to start a half hour earlier.

"I thought it was the worst idea I’d ever heard,” she said. In response, Dos Santos turned to social media to encourage her classmates to speak with her at the next school board meeting. She also started an online petition at Change.org and got 200 signatures. Dos Santos and a classmate also placed 100 posters throughout the hallways at her school. 

“In my life, I’ve always had to be an advocate for myself,” she said. “I’m the youngest of seven kids. My mom died when I was 9, and my dad has a lot of health problems. I’m used to doing things on my own.”

Once Dos Santos started her fight, other schools began to follow suit. Hundreds of middle schools, high schools and school districts in 41 different states have begun to push back their start times. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has even tweeted his support. 

All of Dos Santos' hard work paid off, the article said. After attending the school board meeting with 30 supporters, the school board adjusted the bus schedule and made the start time later, at 8:55 a.m.

Read the full story. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor