Seattle High School Students Will Be Given More Time for Sleep

In November 2015, the Seattle School Board voted to create a new school schedule. Now high school students will be able to go to school at 8.45 a.m. that is a bit later than it was before, while primary school pupils, in contrast, will come earlier, at 7.45 a.m.

Experts argue that such changes will have a positive impact on child health. According to a 2014 report, about 90% of high school students suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, and this, in turn, adversely affects on their physical and emotional state. Worn out teens are more prone to obesity and tend to receive poor grades.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting classes in middle and high school no earlier than at 8:30 a.m. However, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of Education Department claimed that only every fifth school follows this recommendation.

It took several years to examine in detail this issue and to achieve some changes in the school schedule in the end. Both teachers and parents of Seattle State successfully coped with it.

Dr. Maida Chen who works with sleep disorders patients at Children's Hospital in Seattle says that it makes no sense to force children to go to school in the earliest hours. Moreover, the «lack of sleep can lead to serious diseases», adds the doctor.

It should be said that not all residents of the state are equally favorable to the upcoming changes. Parents of children of primary school age are being forced to reshape their personal schedule to pick up children from school earlier, or to find a babysitter and pay her additional hours.

As for the US as a whole, according to a survey, 57% of parents believe that their children have adequate time for sleep, and 40% of those polled think that school lessons are starting at the right time.

Well, in the meantime, Seattle high school students are happy with their new schedule.