CDC: Most Schools Start Classes Too Early

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the majority of schools are starting the day too early.

Educating parents as well as those who make decisions on school start times about the impact of sleep deprivation on teen health and academic performance “might lead to adoption of later start times”, the researchers said. Louisiana has the earliest start time at 7:40 a.m., while Alaska has the latest start time of 8:33am.

The agency found that 42 states reported 75 to 100 percent of the schools started before 8:30. The center says students should be able to sleep at least 8.5 to 9.5 hours per night not to sacrifice their health.

The CDC stated in its Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report for 2013 that the number of high school students that do not receive enough sleep, which is equivalent to about two in every three students, has not changed since it was recorded in 2007.

According to a story by TIME Magazine, the CDC announced that only one in six middle schools and high schools start school at the recommended time of 8:30 a.m.

Sleep-deprived teens are more likely to suffer from depression, use drugs, get low grades and be overweight.

The authors report that delayed school start times do not replace the need for other interventions that can improve sleep among adolescents. It notes that beginning school days before that time does not give teens the opportunity to get sufficient sleep. The data utilized was taken between 2011-2012, so further research is required to see if schools have heeded the recommendation, and if so, what effect this has had.

Hawaii, Mississippi, and Wyoming had no schools that started at 8:30 AM or later, while 75 percent or more of schools in Alaska and North Dakota did, the survey found.

Yet less than a third of U.S. high school students get 8 hours or more of sleep on school nights.

Preventive health care can help Americans stay healthier throughout their lives.

The Austin Public School District tells us they’re putting together a group to explore the implementation of a later schedule for secondary schools.

Numerous folks have encouraged schools to postpone begin times, yet managers regularly can’t, contending that after-school additional curricular exercises would be too hard to arrange.

There are people who would argue that teens can get more sleep buy going to bed early.

WHEATON: If they’re driving to school and they’re falling asleep (laughter) on the way, that’s a definite problem. In fact, many parents have urged schools to delay school timings, but administrations often refused.