Argumentative Essay Example: School Should Start Later

Sleep deprivation. Fatigue. Lower grades. These are effects that students can have due to school starting early. Students need sleep to perform well in school. As late as the 1950's and 1960's, most U.S. schools started between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. This start time can improve students mentally, as they will have more time to sleep, so they can perform better academically and have a better mood. In 2019, California's governor, Gavin Newsom, placed some restrictions on what time schools start at. This bill, known as Senate Bill 328, does not allow middle schools to start before 8 am, and does not allow high schools to start before 8:30 a.m. School should not be able to start before 9:00 a.m, because it can allow students to get more sleep, and students who tend to get less sleep have been linked to many negative effects, such as lower grades, depression, and sleep deprivation.

All public schools should not be able to start before 9:00 a.m because many negative effects have been linked to students when their school starts earlier. For example, according to Amy Norton, many studies have been done that show that students suffer from many things because of school starting too early. “Studies have linked kids' sleep deprivation not only to poorer school performance, but also to higher rates of car accidents, obesity and depression. In a recent study of eight U.S. high schools that delayed their start times, researchers found improvements in kids' grades, attendance and car crash rates” (Norton). These studies show that many negative effects have been linked to kids who have a later school start time, and show better effects on kids when their high schools delayed their start times. According to Eric Suni, many studies have been done that show that students get sleep deprivation from their school start times, and sleep deprivation leads to many other negative effects that can interfere with academics, and the students’ personal life. “Countless studies have shown that early school start times are associated with students getting less sleep, which negatively affects student academic performance. Students with less sleep have difficulty paying attention in class and are likely to have lower grades. They may also experience irritability and fatigue” (Suni). The author states how many students who get less sleep will have many negative effects on them related to school, therefore school should start later so students can be more well rested and ready to learn for the day, and not experience anything such as worse grades, irritability, fatigue, and much more. 

Not all agree that school should not be allowed to start before 9:00 a.m. Some people may say that school should start earlier, But according to Dr. Gellner, who is a doctor in the University of Utah, states, “They don't really mean to be so tired, but their body just isn't ready to wake up at such an early time. Getting enough sleep is hard for a teen whose natural sleep cycle makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. and who face a first period class at 7:30 or earlier the next day. In a new policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools delay the start of the classes till 8:30 a.m. or later. Doing so will align school schedules with the biological sleep rhythms of adolescents whose sleep cycles begin to shift up to two hours later at the start of puberty” (Gellner). This shows that many teens need school to start later, due to their new biological sleep cycle. If school started earlier, they would be too tired, and most likely get sleep deprived. If school started later, they could adjust to their new sleep schedule biologically, and be well rested to go to school each day, and perform well.

All public schools should not be allowed to start before 9:00 a.m for many different reasons. All public schools should not be able to start before 9:00 a.m because many negative effects have been linked to students when their school starts earlier. Earlier starts can lead to students having sleep deprivation, which can lead to things like substance abuse, lower grades, fatigue, depression, and much more. Some may say that school should start earlier, because students can still achieve good grades with an earlier school start time. However, most teenagers need an average of 8-10 hours of sleep. If they don’t get this much sleep each night, they can get sleep deprived, and have many more negative effects. School can already be

tiring, but starting school early will just create more of a negative mental effect on students. Teenagers need a certain amount of sleep each night, and if they don’t meet the recommended amount every night, they can experience many effects that can interfere with their academic performance, and their mental health. School should start later, so every student can get enough sleep each night, and perform well academically in school.