Florida High Schools Consider Later Start Times

As the first day of the new school year draws ever closer, many high school students are dreading those early morning alarms. For some kids in the Miami-Dade area, sleeping in a little bit longer is looking like it will become a real possibility.

The school district there is exploring a pilot program that would test the feasibility of later start times for high schools, according to the Miami Herald. The idea is backed by scientific research that shows teens have different sleep patterns than adults.

The University of Miami Medical School’s Alberto Ramos, who serves as the co-director of the Sleep Medicine Program explained that some teens have an internal time clock that prevents them from going to bed at early hours. Add to this the fact that teens need about nine hours’ sleep and those 7:20 a.m. first bells so common at many schools across the country may actually hamper performance.

“We can assume most adolescents are sleep-deprived when they go to school,” Ramos told the Herald.

A final decision on running the pilot program hasn’t been made, but the Herald said if it’s acted on, some students would see their start times change as early as September.

Check out the Miami Herald’s full story here.

What do you think about later start times for high school students? Would you support such a measure in your district? Tell us by commenting below!