School Start Times

For years and years there has been a lot of discussion about when a reasonable time for students to wake up and go to school should be. There are two main sides. One side believes that school should start later, and the other side believes that the school start times should not be changed. The average teenagers’ alarm for school goes off as early as 6:00 A.M. A little less than half of U.S. public schools start before 8:00 A.M. Studies show that over half of students are not getting 8 hours of sleep or more. That leads to the 33% of teenagers who are found asleep in the classroom (Owens).

Having a later start time for schools would result in an increase in safety in students. One risk that occur when schools start earlier, is the risk of students driving to school while still sleepy. This can result in life threatening car crashes if a student falls asleep behind the wheel. Studies provided by The Encyclopedia of School Health show that the average crash rate of teen drivers went down drastically with school districts that started later. Specifically, the research showed that “the average crash rate for teenage drivers dropped 16.5% in 2 years” (“School Start Times”). Another danger that is brought up with the safety of tired students, is their awareness when crossing streets and busy areas. While those who are tired can still look and check multiple

It has been talked about for decades, that students are not getting enough sleep. Due to this statement, some people believe changing the school start time would address the issue. I believe that altering the school start time will actually do more harm than good. Transportation, sports, and lives of parents would be negatively affected by a later school start time.

Opinions about schools starting time differ all over the United States. Many districts around the United States are trying to start a movement to have school start later than they usually do. 70 districts across the nation are going to start at 8:45. If this happens, it can change the schedules of a big amount of students tremendously. In the article on Newsela, facts are stated about how lots of schools use scientists advice for when they should start school. Based on the article titled, ¨More zzz’s can lead to more A’s: Seattle Schools Move Start Time for Teens¨, one believes that Beaumont High School should not change the start time to begin class later due to transportation,sports’ schedules, and the late dismissal.

Most students do not get the recommended amount of sleep on weekdays because of schools (Snider, ”Start School Later”). However students should get between nine and ten hours of sleep said by National Sleep Foundation. Some schools say it will interfere with family and after school activity schedules. But changing the school start time will help the students in many ways. There should be later start time for middle and high school students.

Is sleep important? A question that many people wonder to themselves at night. Of course, the answer is yes. Sleep is one of the most important things in our lives, it keeps our brains healthy and working. It gives our brain cells time to relax and not over-work. However, some teens aren 't getting the 8.5 hours of sleep they need, and believe the school is responsible for it. In most districts, schools start times around 7:00 am in some cases. Parents and students believe that the school district should change this and make the start of the school day later, so that they can get the right amount of sleep they need to function. In the Scope article, “Should School Start Later?” by Justin O’Neill, “Teachers Oppose Later Start Times” by Julie Zauzmer and Dana Hedgpeth, and “Eight Major Obstacles to Delaying School Start Times” By The National Sleep Foundation, discuss the issue surrounding the idea of students not getting enough sleep at night and that we should make the start of school later. On the other hand, other people think that the school day should stay the same. Although some people argue to make school start later, I think the times should stay the same because school ending later will mess up students after school schedules, getting more bus drivers would be expensive, and changing the school times might send the wrong message.

“When schools have delayed the start of the school day, communities have seen reduced tardiness, sleeping in class, and car crash rates, as well as improved attendance, graduation rates, and standardized test scores” (School Start Later). There has been much debate whether start times for school should be kept where they are at or if they should be pushed back later. Research says that the teenage brain does not fully wake up till eight a.m. or later. So why don’t school systems make the decision to push back school start times for high school students? Although there are a few benefits to school starting earlier such as family time or an after school job, but the benefits of starting school later are much greater. Public schools should initiate later start times to increase the level of academic achievement, create a more positive attitude toward learning, and reduce the amount of stress on students.

87% of high school students get less than the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep (Richter). Over the past few years, the amount of time students spend on homework has gone up , some up to 4 hours on it. While the recommended amount is still at 2. While taking away homework could be a possibility, students can still get benefits out of doing it. What many sleep experts recommend doing, is starting school later. Some of the advantages of later school starting times are that teens get more sleep, perform better academically, and are mentally healthier.

Have you ever thought about schools pushing back school start times? “1 in 5 middle/high schools in the U.S. began the school day at 8:30 AM” (Prevention’s Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report). Later start times are critical to student's health and safety, in addition to academic success.

School starting early are making kids have stress because they have too much homework. Another reason is that they will less chances of failing their classes. According to NASSP “ On the basis of that information, in 1997 the seven comprehensive high schools in the Minneapolis Public School District shifted the school start time from 7:15 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. This article examines that change, finding significant benefits such as improved attendance and enrollments, less sleeping in class, and less student-reported depression”(1). This quote is important because it shows how much it improves the student capability on doing better in their classes if schools starts later. It also shows that students have depression in school, and they also sleep so school starting later is making them sleep less in class. It is important because students have a lot of stress and struggle in their classes because of the little sleep they have so school starting later will be good.class. It is important because students have a lot of stress and struggle in their classes because of the little sleep they have so school starting later will be good.

“Being on time, managing a busy schedule, and getting enough sleep are important skills teens will need when they enter the workforce,” from article A shows how waking up early is a skill you will need when you're older, so you should start now. However, school day shouldn’t begin later because there are so many issues that could throw everything off, and why not stick to the same schedule we have been for years. In the articles, Should School Start Later?(A), and Teens Should Start at 10 a.m., Scientists Suggest. Is That Realistic?(C) both give evidence why later starts aren’t a good idea. School shouldn’t start early because of busy schedules, daylight hours, the school district, and money.

For years, schools have started earlier in the morning. It has become a tradition. The average start time for school is eight o'clock in the morning(livescience). This time can make some kids be a high rush. Having a more delayed start can benefit performance, awareness, and keep kids from unhealthy activities.

The average teen crash rate is 65.4:1000 drivers. With school starting later that number can drop down to 44.5:1000 drivers (Boergers). There are many reasons why school should start later: teen drivers will be more aware, family time would become more of a nightly routine, and kids will have more time for homework. School should start between 9-10 o’clock in the morning so kids can be fully aware of the road ahead of them.

" Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise," said Ben Franklin. While most experts believe that a teen should get 9 hours of sleep, only 15% get that much sleep. With schools starting as early as 7:00 a.m (School Start Time and Sleep), most teenagers are only getting 7 hours of sleep (Sleep in Adolescents (13-18 Years)). In fact, " a recent poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 60% of children under the age of 18 complained of being tired during the day, according to their parents, and 15% said they fell asleep at school during the year" (School Start Time and Sleep). When entering school, many teenagers look like zombies with their eyes half shut and posture sagging. This lack of sleep causes many problems, both physically and mentally. Therefore, in order to help students throughout the nation, school times should be changed and started later.

A study proving there is a correlation between teenage car accidents and early school starting times was conducted during the 2009-2010 school year by the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project (Celmer). In this study, the school starting times of two side-by-side counties in Virginia, Chesterfield County and Henrico County, were compared. In Chesterfield