house Bill H.R. 1861
Should School Start Times for Middle & High Schoolers Be Delayed?
Argument in favor
U.S. middle and high schools start too early for the average adolescent’s sleep cycle, which tends to naturally fall towards sleeping later and waking up later. This has numerous consequences for students, which the Secretary of Education should investigate in order to develop appropriate rules on school start times.
09/06/2019
The facts show that it’s better, but that’s science. Betsy may think it’s fake.
09/06/2019
As a freshman in high school myself, I hate to wake up at 6:30 AM for school. You people don’t realize how stupid the department of education is for not delaying those times and instead choose making every student sleep deprived which negatively affects their grades. The school system is flawed, and it needs changing ASAP.
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09/06/2019
Our son transferred to a school that ran 9-5. In mid-afternoon, the students had time to complete their homework. Volunteer tutors from local colleges helped students if needed. Our son’s interest in school and college blossomed. I strongly support late start for adolescent students.
Argument opposed
Delaying school start times for middle and high school students would have vast ripple effects. Parents, elementary schools, and communities would all be negatively affected. Additionally, it’s not entirely clear, based on current research, whether delaying school start times would actually lead to adolescents getting more sleep.
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09/06/2019
First, I believe this is not a once-size-fits-all question. Communities in different areas tend to work around schedules that are best for most people that live there. I have moved around the country a few times and I can assure you that where I live now, people tend to start and end their day earlier than people tended to where I lived last. It sucks, but I had to adapt. School times need to be set in accord with locality needs and preferences. Secondly, circadian rhythms were cited as a factor but there is one full hour difference in solar time for folks living at opposite ends of the same time zone. Again community locality within a time zone is the overriding factor for circadian rhythm concerns and not the actual ‘clock’ time. So, I do not believe the proposed studies would be of much value.
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09/06/2019
This is a state and local school district issue. Let them decide what’s best for them. Adhere to the 10th Amendment Congress.
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09/06/2019
And will we adjust work hours to fit school schedules?
No one wants to get up at 4 am to drive an hour to work
Shift work is bad for adults Will we abolish shift work?
A routine and a little bit of self discipline prepares children for the real world
The facts show that it’s better, but that’s science. Betsy may think it’s fake.
First, I believe this is not a once-size-fits-all question. Communities in different areas tend to work around schedules that are best for most people that live there. I have moved around the country a few times and I can assure you that where I live now, people tend to start and end their day earlier than people tended to where I lived last. It sucks, but I had to adapt. School times need to be set in accord with locality needs and preferences. Secondly, circadian rhythms were cited as a factor but there is one full hour difference in solar time for folks living at opposite ends of the same time zone. Again community locality within a time zone is the overriding factor for circadian rhythm concerns and not the actual ‘clock’ time. So, I do not believe the proposed studies would be of much value.
As a freshman in high school myself, I hate to wake up at 6:30 AM for school. You people don’t realize how stupid the department of education is for not delaying those times and instead choose making every student sleep deprived which negatively affects their grades. The school system is flawed, and it needs changing ASAP.
Our son transferred to a school that ran 9-5. In mid-afternoon, the students had time to complete their homework. Volunteer tutors from local colleges helped students if needed. Our son’s interest in school and college blossomed. I strongly support late start for adolescent students.
Lots of studies show the need for this. Kids need more sleep.
This is a state and local school district issue. Let them decide what’s best for them. Adhere to the 10th Amendment Congress.
Absolutely. Teenagers aren't getting enough sleep and are overwhelmed as it is with excessive homework and extracurricular activities. The system implies that you must work your life away in order to be successful and happy. Americans are overworked, stressed, obese, and unhealthy. It starts with our children, and the whole system needs a serious reform. There is more to life than work all day.
And will we adjust work hours to fit school schedules?
No one wants to get up at 4 am to drive an hour to work
Shift work is bad for adults Will we abolish shift work?
A routine and a little bit of self discipline prepares children for the real world
That’s what the scientific evidence suggests. Staggering start times also helps school district save money by reducing the number of buses needed. Also reduces school traffic in districts where several schools are close together.
Bottom line teens who start school earlier are 7x more likely to be sleep deprived.
Continual sleep deprivation has a strong connection to a low hate rate variability.
Which in turn, has a strong connection to depression, low esteem, and less resiliency.
🎯So... let the darn kids sleep in a little later and there is a good chance our society will have have fewer depressed/suicidal teens.
Note of interest: Since the legislator, Zoe Lofgren, proposing the bill has a strong track record in promoting/protecting the well-being of kids, you can pretty much trust her accuracy. She is also the same legislator who after pushing for a ban on assault rifles, was the target of the recent mass shootings (garlic festival).
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/heart-rate-variability-new-way-track-well-2017112212789
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3104443/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/201807/when-children-have-nightmares
I live in a district with later middle and high school start times. All this did was shift extra curricular activities to before school instead of after. Band, cheer, dance, and sports all meet before school, as early as 6am.
Fuck yeah. School should not be defined by torture that’s what the military is for.
It’s about time we chose some common sense teaching instructions in our children’s lives. It’s been proven to show that this is very beneficial to them and helps with their scores.
I’m a high school student right now, and I don’t want to start the day later. If we move school back, I guarantee you that us students will just stay up later. Also, if students stay at school later, football, basketball, etc games will have to start later to allow everyone to get there on time from school. Not just the sports players, but the marching band, dance team, cheerleaders, and parents will have to stay later at the game. Parents will end up staying at games later and having to get up at their regular time to go to work in the morning.
i believe the biological clock at this age tends to stay up late - - and to sleep late - The clock operates this way for the persons best. Therefore, school should start late for older children and begin early for younger children. I learned this from a TV show entitled, Adam Ruins Everything. It's funny and offers the real truth about natural sleep patterns and all sorts of things, I think you can find him on Youtube. I've been around children all my life, I agree most of the time -I've observed all of the natural sleep patterns of children, first as a babysitter, than a mother, and now a grandmother
When you join the real world and have to work, nobody is going to give a damm what you want, you perform as required when your told. Grow up and get used to not getting your way.
So what has changed in the last 50-75 years? Liberals and leftists have taken over our schools. Shorten the education time in classes and shorten the school year, teach them absolutely junk. Dumb them down and indoctrination begins and is ridiculously easier when this formulation is applied. The absolute destruction of our schools and our colleges. The destruction of America from within.
Agree once more with jimK.
First, I believe this is not a once-size-fits-all question. Communities in different areas tend to work around schedules that are best for most people that live there. I have moved around the country a few times and I can assure you that where I live now, people tend to start and end their day earlier than people tended to where I lived last. It sucks, but I had to adapt. School times need to be set in accord with locality needs and preferences. Secondly, circadian rhythms were cited as a factor but there is one full hour difference in solar time for folks living at opposite ends of the same time zone. Again community locality within a time zone is the overriding factor for circadian rhythm concerns and not the actual ‘clock’ time. So, I do not believe the proposed studies would be of much value.
From what I have read and seen it was a better thing and it gets rid of the morning sluggishness