Do you think schools should allow students longer sleep schedules? According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, diabetes, injuries, poor mental health, and problems with attention and behavior” and that “teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours”.

Unfortunately, this is not the case as the average amount of sleep a student gets per 24 hours is 7 hours. Approximately 72% of students don’t get enough sleep each night. This is correlated with test scores and studying habits. Now before you say, “Well, students should get more sleep at night on their own time”, know that aligns in direct disorder with a teenager’s biology. As teenagers have a “biological alarm clock” called a circadian rhythm. This gives students a need to stay up late.

Given the information obtained by federal agencies, it can be considered that education of young men and women should be held at a high esteem. Yet the education system that America, specifically District 202, has in place is outdated with minimal evidence and reasoning to support the basis of such early school hours. By simply increasing class time from starting at 7:05 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. there can be an 30% increase in test scores. If this petition if signed to reach our goal it will encourage the school board to take immediate action to secure the best possible education for our students.