According to the American Acadamy of Pediatrics, schools should start no earlier than 8:30. In theory, Freedom is doing the right thing, but do you feel like it’s too early still? According to the CDC, a teen needs 8-10 hours of sleep per night. However, a study conducted by John Hopkins Medicine says that, “… midpoints of weekdays for teenagers were on average around 3:50 a.m., more than an hour later compared with average midpoints of 2:45 a.m. for adults. This likely indicates that many middle and high schoolers do not get the minimally recommended eight hours of sleep.” This means the average teen goes to bed at 3:50, so to get the recommended 8 hours, they should wake up no earlier than 11:50. Now, am I saying that school shouldn’t start till noon? No, that would be silly. Teens need to take responsibility as well and go to bed at an earlier time.
But I still believe that 8:40 may be too early. A start time of 9:30 could lead to many benefits. It would boost attendance, as well as minimize tardies. It could also improve student mental and physical health. There would also be more time for healthy eating.
What do you think? Should school start later?