Why School Should give us the day After Halloween Off 

Trinity Haynes 10/26/21 

Halloween this week lands on a Sunday, and lands on weekdays quite frequently. Leaving teens in a situation choosing between fun or sleep.  I think that when Halloween lands on a weekday or school night, that schools should give students the day after off, or at least a later start.  

The CDC says that teens age 13-18 should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep, every 24 hours. They also reported that students who do not get the recommended amount of sleep tend to have more behavior and attention issues. The test they did on high school students (grades 9 to 12), about 7 out of 10 of them do not get enough sleep, that is 72.7%!! https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/features/students-sleep.htm 

To add on, many students cannot comfortably enjoy time out with friends on Halloween without worrying about schoolwork.  or stressing about what is to come the next day. Students are put in a position to choose between fun with friends, or academics and sleep. But let’s be real, most will pick fun oversleep. The combination of going to bed late, and early school times, leads to lack of sleep. Which, therefore, will affect success in school, classes, and for some behavior.  

In 2014, American Academy of Pediatrics, recommended that middle schools and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to allow kids and teens to get the sleep they need. Still, most schools do not listen. At Lakes High school, School starts at 7:25 a.m. but many buses come as early as 6:15am. Making most students wake up around 5 in the morning! Depending on their morning routine.  

Sleep is also more important for students’ health than anything. During teenage years, the brain and body experience significant development. And the transition to adulthood brings important changes that affect personality, emotions, social and family life, and academics. 

Therefore, I think schools should give teens either a day off or a late start the day after Halloween night. There are worse things teens could do than trick or treat. So instead of discouraging them from doing so, respect that they are having fun instead of getting into dangerous or reckless situations or things.