Upper Darby High School students Rayan Hansali, from left, Tanveer Kaur, Elise Olmstead, Fatima Afrani, Joey Ngo and Ata Ollah, talk in the campus courtyard, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Drexel Hill, Pa. For some schools, the pandemic allowed experimentation to try new schedules. Large school systems including Denver, Philadelphia and Anchorage, Alaska, have been looking into later start times. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

DREXEL HILL, Pa. (AP) — The idea of later school start times, pushed by many over the years as a way to help adolescents get more sleep, is getting a new look as a way to address the mental health crisis affecting teens across the U.S. Nationally, at least nine states are considering legislation related to school start times, up from four the previous year, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. For some schools, the pandemic allowed experimentation to try new schedules. Large school systems including Denver, Philadelphia and Anchorage, Alaska, have been looking into later start times.