Dear Future President,

School districts should begin school at a later time due to the lack of sleep in teenagers. Trying to balance sleep, maintain above average grades, staying committed to extracurricular activities, jobs and keeping up with family and friends is not the easiest thing to do. School start times, mostly high school, vary from between 7:00-7:30 AM. Wake up time depends on how far you live from the school. I live 20 minutes away and get up at 6:00 AM. Students who have to catch a bus usually have to be at their bus stop no later than 6:00 AM. Those students, most likely, had to get up at 5:30 AM. Most teenager don’t go to bed at a reasonable time because of after school activities and then coming home and having to do at least two hours of homework.

According to experts, “sleep deprivation has a significant negative impact on school performance. Attention span, memory, problem solving ability, and mood are optimal when students have adequate sleep.” If teens are not getting enough sleep it causes serious problems. Teens not getting enough sleep during the school year affects them because they become forgetful and their academic performance goes down the drain. Let’s break it down. Early school start times equals no sleep. No sleep equals forgetfulness. Forgetfulness equals not turning in assignments. Not turning in assignment equals bad grades. Bad grades equals no college. No college equals no job. No job equals no money. No money equals unhappiness. Unhappiness equals depression. Depression equals suicidal teens. That alone starts a whole nother argument. Just think of how many young lives are ruined by schools starting too early.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, “the later the school start time, the better a student’s performance in many areas. Including mental health, car crash rates, attendance, grades, and standardized test scores.” If schools start at a later time, it would have a positive impact on the student body because it takes a lot of stress away. Teens wouldn’t have to worry so much about the amount of sleep they are getting every night. They would be able to focus more on school work and grades.

Even some teachers have begun to like the idea of changing school start times. One teacher states: “I have found the 8:30 AM start to be the single most positive impact to my general quality of life at school since I started 12 years ago.” Student are not the only ones that will benefit from this change. Teachers, parents and administrators should embrace the later start times given the positive impact they have on students. If school began later, it would be ideal for everyone including parents, teacher, etc because attitudes will changes and grade will improve.

Data from the school’s services department showed “a substantial increase in consumption of healthier foods at breakfast, from 35 servings per month to 83.” If schools start early, students tend to eat unhealthy foods because they feel fatigued and disgusting from not getting enough sleep the night before. Schools starting later lets the student feel refreshed and awake so they will feel like eating something healthy because they feel healthy. Students eating healthy foods equals a less obese generation.

Schools should try and think of all the extra curricular activities students are involved in on top of the homework given. How can one person balance everything? They don’t. The percentage of students who reported being bothered by feeling “too tired and unmotivated” to do schoolwork, socialize, or participate in sports much of the tie decreased significantly.

According to Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom, “the impact of changing school start times from 7:15 AM to 8:40 AM on 18,000 students in Minneapolis Public School District resulted in improved grades, increased attendance among 9th through 11th graders, decreased student depression and fewer dropouts.

The more restless teens,the less motivated this generation with be in the future. Whether you like it or not we are your future. I propose that school districts across the country consider this change and think about the positive impact it will have on the student body, staff members, and parents.

Sincerely,

Madison Spring