Health: Senator proposes to adjust school start times
Sleep deprivation has become an increasingly prevalent problem for students. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need eight to 10 hours of sleep to function best, but only 15 percent are getting 8.5 hours of sleep on school nights. This leaves 85 percent of teens not getting adequate sleep, impacting their ability to learn, listen, concentrate and solve problems. To counteract these negative effects, California Sen. Anthony Portantino proposed a new bill, Senate Bill 328, which prevents schools from starting any earlier than 8:30 a.m in the 2017-2018 school year. Advanced Placement Psychology teacher John Wheeler, senior Jasper Kim and junior Kenji Matsuda support this proposal and believe that its implementation will have positive impacts on students’ successes in school.
“I feel that this proposal is very reasonable and beneficial to both students and teachers,” Kim said. “It can really assist those who lack sleep and help them focus and function more properly.”
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, too little sleep causes loss of concentration and can lead to memory impairment and compromised physical performance. Chronic sleep deprivation can also cause mood swings and hallucinations. Both Kim and Matsuda experienced a lack of focus in zero period as well as in later periods in the day. They believe that a lack of sleep negatively impacted their in-class performance and attention span.
“I definitely prefer not having a zero period because I had a zero period freshman year and always felt very sleep-deprived. Every day in class, I would feel tired and it harmed my academic success in that class,” Matsuda said. “If I barely get any sleep I will get drowsy and moody throughout the day, so sleep has a really big impact on how I am feeling.”
Wheeler has been able to see a clear contrast among students in his zero and first period classes and students in his other classes. Due to the early time at which the first few periods begin, the performance levels differ greatly.
“[The students] are really unresponsive in terms of answering questions. They seem as if they are not awake yet,” Wheeler said. “Generally, they do not participate as much and I think a main part of the problem is that it is 7 [a.m.].”
As a psychology teacher, Wheeler acknowledges the many benefits this proposal will bring about and how sufficient sleep can positively impact students’ performance in school and other activities.
“There have been places [across the country] where this sort of rule has been implemented and has been highly successful,” Wheeler said. “There have been positive results in terms of test scores and students were more involved and invigorated.”
Along with more sleep, an adjusted start to the day would also give students more time to eat breakfast, a meal commonly skipped among students with zero periods. When Matsuda had a zero period, he never ate breakfast because it was too early in the morning and he felt he did not have enough time. However, without a zero period, Matsuda clearly feels the benefits of a later start to the day. He now feels more rested and energetic with an extra hour of sleep and has more time in the morning to complete homework and eat breakfast.
If this bill is implemented statewide, the proposal is expected to help many students suffering from lack of sleep develop healthier habits and improve their well-beings.
“Overall, I think this proposal is an excellent idea and I would love to see it become a reality in middle schools and high schools,” Matsuda said. “Sleep has a huge role in students’ success and productivity, and the impact zero periods have on students needs to be recognized. This proposal accurately addresses the problem and offers a very viable solution. I believe if it passes, it will be very successful.”
