Louisiana Kids Start The School Day Way Too Early

Louisiana is at the top of the list for starting school the earliest, more than any other state.

The Center for Disease Control says that kids all over the country are starting school too early. The average school start time in 2012 was 8:03AM. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that school should start at 8:30AM or later to give kids enough time to get 8 and a half hours of sleep a night.

According to the CDC, kids who don't get enough sleep are more susceptible to risky behavior, depression, weight gain, and poor school performance.  More than two thirds of kids in the US get less than 8 hours of sleep a night.

Just to put the fact that your kids are going to school too early into perspective, I looked up two Lafayette Parish schools, and their first bell rings a full hour and a half before the recommended time. Both Lafayette High and Acadiana High's first bells ring at 7:00AM.

Here's how the states rank:

Maybe we should just have nap time. Like, in life. Forever. Everyone gets nap time.

[Source]