November 22, 2022

I think many students, staff members and parents would agree that school should start at a later time. In particular, middle school and high school should start later in order for their students to get a healthy amount of sleep.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teenagers get at least 8-10 hours of sleep, which is hard to achieve when school starts at such an early time. Not getting enough sleep can affect student health and negatively alter academic performance. When puberty begins, kids start to get sleepy later at night. When later bedtimes are combined with early school start times, many teens simply cannot get the necessary hours of sleep.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m, most schools in the United States start earlier. I would benefit from school beginning at 8:30 a.m. instead of my school’s current 7:25 a.m. start time. I would be more prepared for the day, especially due to my participation in after-school activities, which many students do. According to Child Trends and Urban Institute, 83 percent of children six to seventeen participated in at least one extracurricular activity. This means that many of these students get home long after school lets out, leaving less time for homework and sleep.

A 2019 law in California, S.B. 328, states that high school cannot start earlier than 8:30 a.m. The state found that even though school was starting later, students were still able to get home around the same time as their parents. I think this would result in fewer tardies, as it would be easier for students to get to school on time. Students would also have more time to eat breakfast. When students are well-rested they are more mentally, physically and emotionally prepared for their day.

There have been plenty of instances where lack of sleep has affected me in school. During freshman year I was still getting used to high school start times. I had world history during mods 3-4 and I fell asleep during class. Being so tired in the morning made it very difficult for me to concentrate. I’m sure that plenty of other students in the building have had a similar experience, and that they too would benefit from a later start time.