Schools should have later start times

Should schools have a later start time?

Every day students attend school half asleep. Currently, in California, there is a mandate that middle schools start no later than 8 a.m. and high schools no later than 8:30 a.m. 

The students that attend Summit High School in California, say that just that extra hour helps them tremendously.  All schools across the U.S. should have the same mandate as California. Right now there are other states that are considering transitioning to later start times: New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

“Today about 70% of teens are sleep-deprived,” says The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For example, students who play sports have practice until 6 p.m., then they have to do homework, take a shower, eat supper and get ready for the next day. On average that puts a student going to sleep at 11 p.m. That means a student-athlete would get about seven hours of sleep if they had to wake up at 6 am, and teens are recommended to get 8-10 hours of sleep.

Being sleep-deprived can cause teens lower grades, obesity and depression. 

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get enough sleep, I have a hard time functioning and I’m not pleasant to be around. Also along with just the mental aspect of not getting enough sleep, a study was also done and found that later start times can decrease drowsy driving among teens.

Teens need to be able to get the sleep that they need so that they can focus and make good grades.

Teachers at Summit High School said that they can notice a difference in their students when they get the appropriate amount of sleep. I believe that teachers here at Chapman would be able to see a change as well. 

Another benefit to having school start later would be not as much congestion on the roads. Students who drive wouldn’t have to worry about too many cars on the road and making it to school on time. Even if school started at 8:30 a.m. most of the parents on their way to work in the morning would already be at work. 

I believe that schools should have a later start time so that students could get the sleep that they need. Students would be able to get their athletic practice in, homework done, dinner eaten, shower taken, and be ready for the next day all with enough sleep.