CT’s Average High School Start Time is One of the Earliest in Nation

According to AAA State of Play, Connecticut high school students are getting up very early, compared with the rest of the country.

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The study says Connecticut High Schools start their day at 7:39 am on average. This metric makes Nutmeg State students the 3rd earliest in America behind only Louisiana and Massachusetts. These are the 5 earliest in America:

1. Louisiana: 7:30
2. Massachusetts: 7:38
3. Connecticut: 7:39
4. New Hampshire: 7:41
5. Nevada: 7:45

Is that too early? Yes, the CDC recommends a start time of 8:30 am. The study goes on to say "more than 2 out of 3 high school-aged adolescents do not get enough sleep." They add, "the National Sleep Foundation found that 87% of high school students and 59% of middle school students get less than the recommended amount of sleep daily on school nights.

This is no small problem, the CDC says not getting enough sleep contributes to the following:

• Being overweight
• Drinking alcohol
• Smoking tobacco
• Using drugs
• Poor academic performance.

Those are the long-term effects but what about that moment when a student is supposed to be learning. If they are in class by 7:40, they need to begin to commit information to memory which could be difficult. According to Healthline a lack of sleep can negatively impact both short and long-term memory. When a person is sleep deprived their concentration, creativity and problem solving are all compromised.

So, what are we doing? Why are we not speaking up for our kids? When I was in high school I couldn't figure out what was wrong with the adults. I wanted to know why they were OK with us getting up so early in the morning? I remember thinking, this is too early, too soon, this is wrong and no one said anything.

Adults start at 9 am, can drink coffee, pound energy drinks and pretend to check their e-mails for the first 30 minutes of work, and that is OK? To hell with this, I need to be the one to stand up for these children. I know the pain that comes with getting up too early, my alarm goes off at 3:50 am and I'm at work by 4:30 am. I also know what it is like to be a teenager because I'm pretty sure I stopped mental development at 14.

I am one of these kids and we're not going to take it anymore.

P.S. What is going on in South Carolina? Their average start time is 8:34 am. It's not enough that their kids don't have to battle a foot of snow, they also get to sleep until tomorrow.

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