Persuasive Essay On Why Schools Should Start Later?

In America, teenagers average around 7.1 hours of sleep, instead of the preferred 9.25 hours. The largest cause for this effect is the start time of middle and high schools. Most teenagers under 18 in America do not get enough sleep, since schools can start as early as 7:00 am, not allowing students to get a beneficial amount of sleep. Sleep deprivation in children also can lead to focus deficits and academic and athletic fatigue, which does not allow students to do their best daily. So, schools should start later to help children get a beneficial amount of sleep.

Schools should start later since most children under 18 do not get enough sleep. For example, studies from the National Sleep Foundation show that 60% of children under the age of 18 complain of being tired, and 15% admit that they have fallen asleep during class at least once in the school year. This is pure evidence that teenagers are exhausted during the school day. Also, 59% of middle school students and 87% of high school students do not get over 8.5 hours of sleep, which is the required amount of sleep that teenagers need to
function. Students in America need to get their beauty sleep, and if school start time is pushed back, that is entirely possible. Furthermore, most middle and high school students say it is easier for them to sleep in than to go to sleep early, giving another reason why students would work better if they got more sleep in the morning. This is one reason why schools should start later to help children get a beneficial amount of sleep. Sleep deprivation in children from early school start times can lead to unfocused behavior and academic fatigue. For instance, studies show that students do not listen early in the morning and most likely get lower grades. Not getting enough sleep also can hold back their athletic performances. This can also lead to students reaching for sugary and caffeinated foods to keep them alive during the day. This is definitely not great for the health of teens and tweens. To illustrate another effect of sleep deprivation in children, the drowsiness of high school students can lead to car crashes, and the factor of drowsiness alone contributes to more than 100,000 car crashes per year, according to Leigh Ann Morgan of Sleepingresources.com. If schools move their start times to a later time, then this amount can be reduced. Again, another reason why schools should start later is to lessen sleep deprivation in teenagers that leads to unfocused behavior and academic and athletic fatigue. Many people are taking action in America to try to get schools to start after 8:30 am. For example, The House Congressional Resolution 135 is encouraging schools to start no earlier than 8:30 am in a nation-wide movement. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement calling on school districts to move start times to 8:30 or later for middle and high schools. People are realizing the effects of starting school earlier in the morning, and are determined to change that. With that, even small adjustments in school start time can have beneficial effects. For example, getting an extra 15-20 minutes of sleep each day can give someone about 2 hours of extra sleep each week. To repeat, many people are taking action in America to try to get schools to start after 8:30 am, and they need help.

Some people say that it’s too much work to change bus schedules around, or that after school athletics need to install lights to fields, and that costs money.
But wouldn’t it be worth it to get more sleep? Or for school teams to do better, or to have better grades school-wide? The benefits of moving school start times back are appealing, and that’s for sure. In other words, even small adjustments in school start times can have beneficial effects. Others still argue, though, about the cost of purchasing more buses or that it takes a lot of time to change school schedules, or that if parents drive their children to school, they have to change their schedules too. However, bus schedules can be easily changed, and if parents need to drive their children to school, they could even find a carpooling option. These problems can have easy solutions, they just need to be thought
about. To sum things up, schools should start later to allow students to get essential benefits from a great amount of sleep each night, since most teenagers do not get a beneficial amount. Sleep deprivation in students can lead to unfocused behavior and academic and athletic failure, and many organizations see that this is happening and are encouraging schools to start no later than 8:30 am. Starting school later in the morning has many beneficial effects, and those effects need to take place soon.