Why School Should Start Later

A national sleep foundation poll found that 59% of 6th through 8th graders, as well as 87% of high schoolers, are getting less than the recommended amount of sleep on school nights. This often affects how attentive kids are when they get to school and can have a negative impact on the rest of their day. When students are tired they often don't take in the information they would otherwise pick up with an adequate amount of sleep. Starting classes at middle school and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. would help teens arrive alert, healthy and ready to learn, U.S. sleep medicine specialists say (Lehman, 2017). Schools should start later to ensure the success of its students.
Some might argue students shouldn't start school later because it could make classes shorter. While this could be true, school ending time can be pushed back to accommodate an …show more content…
Being tired when driving is a major safety concern when it comes to teens and adults commuting to school in the morning. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls refers to this situation, and an extreme danger knows as drowsy driving.” An estimated 27% of all drowsy-driving-related car crashes involve 16-19-year-old drivers (AAA Foundation, 2018). Parents have jobs that they must attend to and increasing the amount of time they have to get their child to school greater could improve attendance in the student body. According to a CDC study in 2017 82% of parents would prefer that school started later in the morning. Weather conditions are also a factor to consider. Driving in bad weather conditions in the morning increase the chance of accidents by more than half. By starting school later we can decrease these chances and ensure the safety of students. The increase of daylight and time to get to school would increase student and parent morale and decrease early morning