Early School Start Times

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Most people are not fans of the morning, especially high school students. Teenagers getting up for school do not wake up to the sounds of birds chirping with a smiling sun peaking over the horizon to greet you for a brand new day. Typically, mornings include groaning and a cup of coffee just to feel like you can function like a normal person. Being awoken to get ready for a day of mental exhaustion can seem like punishment, and the school day starting so early may be just that. This early start can hinder the one thing that school is trying to do; teach students. The early start times prevent students from getting the recommended sleep for their age -- average of nine hours a night -- can hurt their ability to learn along with many other aspects …show more content…

The average start time for school in the United States is 8:03 a.m. (School Starts Too Early). Any athletics and extracurriculars are handled after school because the early start allows for earlier release. This schedule is hurting students significantly. This early of a start is preventing students from getting the sleep they need (Lewis). Lack of sleep can be detrimental to their health. Sleep deprivation can cause many problems, both mentally and physically. Mentally, students become impatient and even aggressive. They easily lose focus and have an extremely hard time retaining information taught to them in school. Some students have increased levels of depression, which just further progresses the already numerous symptoms. Physically, they can begin to eat unhealthy food and their is a direct link between sleep deprivation and obesity. The constant drowsiness that they feel can prevent students from partaking in the daily physical activities they need to do to remain healthy. Finally, sleep deprivation increases the chance of students using drugs and alcohol and forming a dependency on nicotine and caffeine. Unfortunately, a survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that forty-two states reported that seventy five percent or more of their schools began before 8:30 a.m. (School Starts Too Early I think it is safe to say that no parent nor teacher wants this for their child or student. The forming of these unhealthy habits will affect them in the long run

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