Like many families across the country, mornings at our home can be, let’s say, a bit hectic. We scramble to pack lunches, hunt for shoes, and navigate everyone’s less-than-enthusiastic morning moods. Thankfully, my kids don’t have to be at school until 9 a.m., which gives us a little breathing room amid the chaos. However, this is not the case for many families. My sister’s children’s elementary school begins at 7:45 a.m., and countless middle and high schools nationwide schedule classes even earlier than that. This means that some students are leaving home before 7 a.m., literally waking up before the sun. That’s simply too early, especially for adolescents.
The issue of early school start times isn’t just a concern for parents; it’s been a topic of discussion among sleep experts and health professionals for decades. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that teenagers require between 8 and 10 hours of sleep each night. However, due to their unique biological clocks, it’s challenging for them to fall asleep early. As they grow older, they tend to stay up later while needing to wake up earlier for school, resulting in a constant state of fatigue.
This chronic tiredness adversely affects not only their health but also their academic performance. Studies have shown that shifting school start times to later in the morning leads to improved attendance, better test scores, and higher grades across various subjects. Schools that have implemented later start times have also seen reductions in tardiness, substance abuse, and even depressive symptoms among students. Some have reported a significant drop in teenage car accidents.
For years, health professionals have urged educational policymakers to reconsider school start times. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a change, and the following year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoed this by recommending later start times for middle and high school students to ensure they get enough sleep for their health and academic growth. The push for later start times is gaining traction. Recently, the American Medical Association also recommended that schools start later for teens, and a position paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine highlighted the benefits of this approach.
“Early school start times make it difficult for adolescents to get sufficient sleep on school nights, and chronic sleep loss among teens is associated with a host of problems, including poor school performance, increased depressive symptoms, and motor vehicle accidents,” stated Dr. Emily Chen, the lead author of the position paper.
In late April, the non-profit organization Start School Later convened a conference in Washington, D.C., bringing together renowned sleep specialists, educators, lawmakers, and health professionals to advocate for prioritizing sleep for our youth. According to reports, the conference aimed to unite diverse voices committed to protecting children’s health and promoting later school start times. Participants highlighted the necessity for advocacy at both district and state levels.
Change is often met with resistance; there will always be those who cling to “this is how we’ve always done it.” Just because adults are often tired doesn’t mean our children should be, and the way things have always been may not be the best approach. Thankfully, some school districts are recognizing the detrimental effects of early start times and are making adjustments. For instance, my local school district in suburban Chicago recently approved a two-year pilot program to shift the school day from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., running until 3:10 p.m., starting in the 2017-18 school year. To accommodate this change, the district will also shorten class periods and lunch by a few minutes.
Change may be challenging, but it’s certainly not impossible. If these adjustments can enhance our children’s physical, emotional, and educational well-being, why wouldn’t we pursue them? Kudos to my local school district for their commitment to prioritizing children’s health by delaying start times, as well as to other schools across the nation taking similar initiatives. With enough advocacy from parents, health professionals, and policymakers, we can hope to see more schools acknowledging the importance of adequate sleep for teens.
And if only we could convince our employers to do the same when it comes to prioritizing sleep.
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Summary
Schools across the country are increasingly recognizing the negative impact of early start times on adolescents’ health and academic performance. With mounting evidence from health professionals and recent shifts in some school districts, there is hope for broader change. Advocating for later start times is crucial for the well-being of our children, as consistent sleep deprivation can lead to various issues, including poor academic outcomes and increased mental health challenges.