Changing School Start Times

Schools should begin their daily start times later in the day since the current system affects students negatively, however there is an easily implemented solution that benefits the student.
Students daily, everywhere, have to constantly put their bodies to the test waking up every morning earlier than they should. There’s an internal clock that our bodies use to make us go to sleep, it’s called The Circadian System. The circadian system communicates with our body, more importantly the metabolic demands of our sleep cycle (Argenti 29). The circadian system is what makes the body tired at night, and what wakes the minds up in the morning. However, teens have to wake up for school earlier than their bodies tell them to. “When your circadian rhythm

Changing the start time of a school involves many people including parents, teachers, students, principals, school boards, superintendents, counselors and healthcare professionals, (“Background”). The first problem with changing the start times is getting everything rescheduled. Student transportation, sports, other miscellaneous extracurricular activities. “Changing school start times can be challenging for school districts. Administrators have to delay busing schedules. Coaches worry about scheduling practices and many parents rely on the current start times for reasons such as child care or carpools.” (Snider) “Meanwhile, time spent in organized sports and other activities has risen dramatically. But experts warn that there is a limit to how much activity kids can handle.” (Kiesbye 44) Unfortunately the best way to get students ready for the next day right now, is to have them go to sleep earlier. With sports, homework, and late-night jobs however, this is a problem. “It makes sense to look at school start times, which start the rhythm of the day for students, parents, teachers, and members of the community at large,” (“Background”). Pushing back the start time half an hour later however, decreases a very large portion of teens’ “sleep debt.” “A University of Minnesota study demonstrates the impact of pushing back school start times… It found that students benefited by

“Like good diet and exercise, sleep is a critical component to overall health,” (“How Much”). Sleep is an essential to every person's’ health. Especially young kids. A better sleep schedule comes with an stable immune system, an increase in healthy growth, and also better blood-sugar levels and a decreased risk of obesity. There have also been improvements in attendance, alertness, and student-reported depression. Advantages for teens to get the current amount of sleep include; higher GPAs and a lower risk of drowsy driving. (Snider) With the constant need to be awake during the day, and well through the night, adults and teens alike rely on