Why School Should Start Later

“Education bodies and institutions have an affirmative duty to provide a reasonable standard of care to their students, in part because of the compulsory nature of education,” says Paul Kelly, a researcher at the University of Oxford, when discussing the vastly controversial topic of when schools should relatively begin in the morning. Most schools in the United States begin as early as 7:15 a.m.; however, due to the fact that teen students are not getting enough sleep, health specialists around the country have been pushing for later start times. Many people disapprove of this movement, though, claiming that early start times are needed to keep order and prepare students for their adult lives. Are these preparations worth risking the health …show more content…
Sleep deprivation is a huge problem in the youth today, and late start times for schools are part of the solution to this ongoing problem. Due to the biological time shift in teens’ sleep-wake cycle that occurs during puberty, “it’s difficult, if not impossible, for them to go to sleep before 10:30 p.m.” (Shute 1). Their physiological incapability to fall asleep early, and the early start times of most schools today, forces the majority of teens to wake up unrefreshed and sleep deprived. Insufficient sleep is critical and unhealthy for everyone, regardless of age; so current early start times are ultimately hurting the population of the future. According to a study published in the journal Science Activities, “students got 34 minutes more sleep on average with the later start time. from 6 hours and 50 minutes to 7 hours and 24 minutes” (Neighmond 8). This goes to show that teenage students will take advantage of later start times and use them to sleep in, rather than the common belief that they'll use them as an excuse to stay up …show more content…
This allows guardians to rely on the centers to ensure their children make it safely to and back from school. This is also beneficial to guardians who work late and rely on teen students to look after the young. These child care centers compensate for the lack of versatility within many guardians’ schedules. Besides, many professionals have agreed that it would be best for younger students to begin school earlier in the morning. Seattle Public Schools is a prime example of this, with most elementary schools beginning at 7.55 a.m., while remaining schools, beginning at 9:35 a.m. (Cornwell 6). Not all schools are required to push forward start times; it all depends on whether the students benefit from it or not. If that means that elementary students must begin the morning earlier than older students, then so be it. District managers have the responsibility to adjust and modify school environments in order to provide the students and their families with what they need. There are various options that guardians can take advantage of to ensure everyone makes it where they need to be on

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