The DisagreementThe main disagreement with this issue is that everyone has gone through this process and survived, and some have continued on to do very well. Other disagreements delve into the economics of implementing a possible solution to this mental health issue. The most popular way to diminish some of this problem is to delay the school opening time so that the students can get more sleep. Perfect, right? Nope. If we open late for high schoolers, the problem will be providing more buses than ever before which comes out of the very tight school budget. This problem is on a large scope, so if many schools start opening early from government action, all the other ones will have to follow.
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Current and Proposed Policies
An example of a current policy to help alleviate student stress was when a school in Minnesota decided to change their school opening time locally and saw a big change in the stress levels. The school also saw an all time high for the student attendance records and reported as a whole case for changing school times across the nation. This involves the school district and the people in the town more than the government. If we (as a nation) wanted to get this proposal passed, involving the government would be the last move the school district should be the one making the calls considering there is no "one size fits all" solution to solving student stress. |
Role of the Government
The government should be involved in the solution because the rising levels of stress is a national health issue with far reaching consequences. While personal choice does play a part of the solution, the government has to do what individuals cannot. Decreased levels of sleep also correlate the the neglect of student’s mental health. If students at prestigious universities, who have a bright future are constantly battling suicidal ideation and sleep deprivation because of the work overload, there is clearly an underlying problem within the system. If a substantial amount of students say that they are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, there is obviously a problem that needs to be dealt with. There is only so much personal restraint and responsibility can do when there is both societal and self pressure from the rigorous environment of high school and college. The local, state, and federal governments have the responsibility to work together to understand the complexities of the issue and devise a better solution. |