By Payton Neil
Today school starts at 7:45 a.m. for Northview High School students and earlier for many high schools across America. A motive for this early start time, which dates back to the 1950’s, is “transportation cost efficiency,” according to CBS News. Usually school buses complete a route with the middle and high school students and then go back out and do an additional route with the elementary students. This saves the school district from having to buy more buses and hire additional drivers. While it may be more efficient, the early school start time has created unintended consequences for students. Starting school too early can have negative effects on learning, development, safety, and health.
According to Ted Burba, psychology teacher at Northview High School for the past 51 years, a high schooler's brain is not prepared to learn at 7:45 a.m. He notices that his students’ test scores go up drastically throughout the day. Students rely on stimulants, like energy drinks and coffee to stay awake and focused, but this is only a temporary fix.
“More sleep allows the student to focus and solve problems better. Also their brain will be in better sync with their body,” Burba said. What students really need to perform better in school is more sleep.
Most high school students do not get the recommended eight to ten hours of sleep a night because they are up late finishing homework. This can lead to sleep deprivation, which has many unfavorable side effects such as immune system deficiency, a rise in stress levels, fragmented thinking patterns, flashes of temper, and loss of motivation.
This also affects young drivers, like high school students, because they can experience the effects of sleep deprivation in their driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration describes the “extreme danger” of drowsy driving. Studies show that sleep deprived teens are twice as likely to be involved in automobile accidents.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) both recommend shifting the middle and high school start times to 8:30a.m., but in the CDC’s 2015 report, 75% of public schools start earlier than the recommendation. It has been proven that test scores improve as the days go on, along with attendance.
Although there are many positive effects of starting school an hour later, we cannot ignore the challenges it would create. Transportation is a large obstacle for most schools to overcome. A later start time also produces potential conflicts with extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs, and jobs.
Photos courtesy of AIA Grand Rapids
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