Townsend Harris is known for its rigorous and intense academic program. As a top ranked school in New York City, keeping up with assignments poses an issue for some students, but with school starting early at 8:00 in the morning, insufficient sleep poses a bigger issue. A study done by the CDC found that with each additional night of poor sleep for their control group of students, the risk of anxiety and depression-like symptoms dramatically increases.
Additionally, the data also shows that individuals who do not sleep sufficiently on a nightly basis were more likely to feel sad or hopeless than people who did sleep enough. Additionally, the CDC (citing the American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that schools start no earlier than 8:30AM to make it easier for students to get a full night’s rest.
Below students were interviewed on whether or not they believe school should begin later.
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