Should Montgomery County Public Schools implement this California law?

Governor Gavin Newsom from California has recently signed a law proclaiming that students in middle school and high school are to go to school an hour later. But is this a good choice? Some parents believe that this will benefit them and their children, some disagree. The ideal amount of sleep a teenager should have is 8 – 10 hours a night to have enough energy. But studies show that only about 15% of the teens in the U. S. have an adequate amount. The average is 7 hours for teenagers in California. Governor Gavin Newsom of California has taken big strides to resolve this issue.

Dr. Dean Blumberg, who was interviewed on an NBC News video, says, “Students who start school later have decreased rates of depression, they have higher test scores.” California created this law so that students could have a better education. According to some studies, later school time leads to higher attendance, better grades, and increased productivity. Participation would increase during classes. As most students know, good grades and consistent concentration can bring positive results. All of the great things that students want cannot happen with children dozing off anytime and not learning what they needed to learn in order for them to have a bright future.

Many parents agree with this new law and believe it benefits children’s education. As 16-year-old Libby Vastano, a senior from Los Altos, California, who was interviewed for an article from The New York Times tells readers, “I don’t know many kids that do sleep enough at my high school,” she said. “If you meet someone who gets 9 hours, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ ” If most children in California don’t get the minimum hours of sleep, perhaps Governor Gavin Newsom was right to enforce this new law.

Is everyone happy to get more sleep? Later starting times mean that parents who have to go to work early are forced to arrive at work late because they have to drop off their children at school. Or, they have to choose to spend a typical fee of $100-$500 for before and after school cares monthly, making it very inconvenient for families with low income. They could be losing money that they cannot afford to lose. Also, it interrupts the students’ schedules. They might have to cancel a few after-school activities due to delayed school release times. This could really impact students’ opportunities. For example, if a child wanted to participate in a sport, they wouldn’t have time to go to their team practices because they are studying for a school test. This would create more tension in the child’s brain. When it comes to tests, they become so traumatized that they get sick. This is too much for the brain. Sometimes, students just need to relax and have a mindful moment where they can just take in the fresh air and breathe.

Should Montgomery County Public Schools follow this law? Most teenagers are participating in a lot of sports or extracurricular activities by middle school, sometimes leaving students with too little time to complete all their homework. Perhaps this new law will get students to sleep more instead of staying up late every night. Or, perhaps later start times will leave already underprivileged families even poorer. Multiple kids don’t notice that they are going to sleep too late. They don’t notice that the sleeping time that they miss impact their performance in school. But, with poor families needing the money wasted on daycare or going to work late, is this the best choice?

Article by Reanna Jin and Tiffany Lu of Cabin John Middle School

Graphic by Katherine Hua of Robert Frost Middle School

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