District should consider its role in student sleep | Editorial
Published 4:33 pm Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The new Vashon High School building, unveiled this year, was built with learning in mind. Classrooms have more computers in them. Teachers can amplify their voices with new sound systems to ensure that everyone hears. Study areas throughout the school encourage student collaboration and group studying. Even the chairs in classrooms were chosen intentionally — they roll on wheels, something that has been shown to improve concentration during class. In many ways science informed what the new school would look like. Now the latest science suggests that many teens are sleep deprived, and the Vashon School District should take note and consider whether it could realistically change school start times.
A study recently released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) confirms what other scientists have long said, that teenagers don’t get enough sleep. Because of their changing bodies, teens have a hard time falling asleep before 11 p.m. It’s recommended that they get nine hours of sleep a night, meaning schools should start no earlier than 8:30, according to the AAP. The AAP says nearly 60 percent of sixth through eighth graders and almost 90 percent of high school students get less than the recommended amount of sleep each night.
On Vashon, the school district is aware of the most recent recommendation. The high school and middle school both start at 8 a.m., later than many schools. But research suggests that pushing that time back even a half-hour could mean more sleep and benefits for students and likely improved performance in school. However, school officials point out that it wouldn’t be simple to change school start times, and there are many factors to consider. It’s good that the superintendent is now paying attention to a study Seattle Public Schools is spending half a million dollars on to fully vet the idea of changing start times.
Vashon has strong schools. The Puget Sound Business Journal recently used school performance data to rank the top school districts in the Puget Sound area and listed Vashon as number eight. Schools here will likely continue to be strong if start times remain as they are. But in order to serve students best, the district should take a close look at changing its start times. In the next year, and at least after Seattle’s study is complete, Vashon’s school board should take this issue up.
