Should the School Day Start Later

Ryan Fredrick, Reporter

The school day should start later because students are sleep deprived. In more than 40 states, at least 75 percent of public schools start earlier than 8:30 a.m., according to the CDC’s report.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 9,000 students at eight high schools in Minnesota, Colorado and Wyoming and found that shifting the school day later in the morning resulted in a boost in attendance, test scores and grades in math, English, science and social studies. Schools also saw a decrease in tardiness, substance abuse and symptoms of depression. Some even had a dramatic drop in teen car crashes, according to TheAtlantic.com

Adolescent’s internal clock are different than those of different ages. It is normally harder for teenagers to go to bed earlier in the night and wake up earlier. But while teenagers are going to bed earlier, their school start times are getting earlier and earlier, causing them to be sleep deprived.

At Timberland, we have a late start day every now and again that starts at 9:20 and ends at 2:20. So why can that not be our normal start time. It seems people get the same amount of work done, and get way more sleep. Also, the district could add however long they need to for it to still be a productive day. So maybe we get out at 3:30, but at least the students of Timberland will not be sleeping during class, trying to get a few more hours of sleep.