Journalist: Shelby Tannehill (OSU)
It’s long been encouraged for students to take care in getting their full eight hours of
sleep, but what if mid-day naps were required for them by law? This was proposed this morning
by Sen. Chloe Dent in Senate Bill No. OBU-002, or the “Sleep for Success” Act of 2025. The
bill failed the senate 5-15.
The bill would require wellness breaks, or daily periods where students have the
opportunity to nap, meditate and reset without any distractions, including but not limited to
electronics and school work. While schools would be required to have these rest periods, it is up
to their discretion as to when and where these breaks are held.
“I really love taking naps at college. I feel like taking naps during the day helps me
perform better,” said Sen. Dent, bill author. “I think it would have helped me in high school too, so that’s what inspired me to write this bill.” Some senators took issue with certain provisions in
the bill, like section three subsection four which mandated that students could not use devices or
socialize with their peers during this time. Others had larger problems with the section which
stated that the Oklahoma Department of Education would study the effects of this legislation
through data like test scores.
S.B. OBU-002 failed this morning, but Sen. Dent is not deterred. “I was asked a bunch of
questions, so I know what people are looking for, and I can rewrite it and bring it back” Sen.
Dent said. “They’re just a really tough crowd, you have to be really specific with your stuff. You
expect the worst, but I want to fix it and bring it back next semester.”
Although today didn’t pan out the way Sen. Dent had hoped, she’ still hopeful for future
sessions. I’m almost certain that the honorable Senate hasn’t seen the end of the “Sleep for
Success” act.