Are you a teen and go to school? Do you think you get the amount of sleep you deserve? If you think that your school starts too early and want it to change, you aren’t alone. There are a lot of students who think the same. Students in their teen years usually can’t go to sleep before 11:00! And there asking us to go to school at 7:30, that just isn’t right! Most teen students get around 7-8 hours of sleep, that is like getting a C- on a sleep test. I think that students shouldn’t have to go to school this early and should get the beauty sleep that they need, I think this because it would be a safer option for schools to do, and it would be beneficial to students health.

I think that students shouldn’t have to go to school this early and should get the beauty sleep that they need, I think this because it would be a safer option for schools to do. In the text, “Teens may do better when School Starts Later” it states the following, “The statement, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, follows similar recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It asserts that if middle- and high-school students are allowed to wake up later in the morning, they’ll be more focused during the day, more alert behind the wheel and less likely to be late to (or absent from) school.” (Macmillan) This evidence shows that these big credible companies like Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are on board on later school times would be a safe idea. For example, these companies think that if teen students are allowed to wake up at a later time, they will be more alert behind the wheel and more focused during the day. In the video “Why school should start later for teens,” it states the following, “In our work with teens from LA Unified School District, we found that teens with sleep problems were 55 percent more likely to have used alcohol in the past month.” (Troxel) This evidence shows that Wendy Troxel has done some tests to see the effect of sleep deprivation on teens, and this specific test, she found that teens with sleep problem were 55 percent more likely to have used alcohol. And if you think about it you graduate high school 18 which means students can be drinking at the least three years before they are legally allowed to, when they are twenty-one.

I think that students shouldn’t have to go to school this early and should get the beauty sleep that they need, I think this because it is beneficial to students health. In the text, “Teens may do better when School Starts Later” it states the following, “Instituting a school-wide schedule change would be a good start, says Watson, and it may even motivate kids and parents to prioritize sleep and develop better sleep habits overall. “This change provides an opportunity for healthy sleep for teenage students, but it’s up to the student and their families to take advantage of it,” he says.” (Troxel) This evidence shows that if school started later, by instituting a school-wide schedule change. This would be healthier for the students because Watson has shown that this may motivate students and parents to prioritize sleep and develop better sleep habits.  In the video “Why school should start later for teens,” it states the following, “...  teens who skip out on sleep are at increased risk for a host of physical health problems that plague our country, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.”This evidence shows that just because of school start times of being early these dangerous threats are being shown to be affecting teens. (Macmillan) Someone could argue that if students need more sleep, then just make them go to bed at an earlier time, but Amanda Macmillan said that “... children approach and go through puberty, their brains begin producing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin on a delayed schedule, making it difficult for them to feel tired before 11 p.m,” so this would not fix students sleep deprivation. (Macmillan)

In conclusion,  I think that students shouldn’t have to go to school this early and should get the beauty sleep that they need, I think this because it would be a safer option for schools to do, and it would be beneficial to students health. Do you agree with me or not? Next time you see your principal or superintendent, tell them, they are affecting your life and this needs to change as soon as possible. Be that voice that makes your district change the schools start time.