With school starting at 7:40 and 8:40 on Wednesdays many people are very tired and drowsy in the beginning of the school day.  This has led to students and teachers calling for later arrival times that mirror the middle school schedule.

There are numerous benefits to starting school later, among them is improved health.  It’s necessary to get adequate sleep in order for students to fully grow and develop.  According to the National Sleep Foundation schools with early start times are conflicting with adolescents natural, predetermined sleep patterns.  Additionally, students that lack sleep are more vulnerable to illness due to a weakened immune system.

Next, schools should push back start times as more sleep has a positive relationship with student performance.  Studies found that students that had more sleep had better concentration, higher grades, and a more positive attitude.  On top of that, students with higher amounts of sleep had decreased tardiness, better attendance, and better health.  All of these beneficial effects clearly point to why school arrival time should be pushed back.

Despite these positive effects, there are still people against pushing back the arrival time.  Coaches have to reschedule their practice times around school hours.  Next, administrators have to both delay and change schedules for students and the school.  It can also cause problems for parents in terms of picking up their kids because the hours may conflict with their work.  Finally, there are some students who are concerned with how a later dismissal time would impact their respective extracurricular activities.

Although there are some drawbacks to pushing back the arrival time for school, the positive effects of a later start time far outweigh the negatives.