Almost two years ago, Ron DeSantis signed Bill 733 into existence. Coming into effect for the 2026-2027 school year, the bill’s purpose is to force a minimum opening time for all middle and high schools. Public high schools cannot open their doors earlier than 8:30AM, and public middle schools no earlier than 8:00AM. The intention behind this bill? To allow students more time to rest.

Children and adolescents need more time to sleep due to their growing bodies and minds than an adult would, according to UCLA Health. A teenager is going to want about 9 to 10 hours of sleep, but most only get about 7 hours.

These lackluster sleep schedules cause more than just a slow start to your day. Enduring a day of school on little sleep can result in sleep deprivation and consequently, a lack of focus. This can harm a student’s grades and make learning significantly harder than it would be if they were well-rested.

Sleep deprivation is an extremely common case in high school settings. On average, 70% of American high school students are not getting enough sleep, according to Stanford Medicine.

Depending on how much and how often you dodge sleeping, the effects of sleep deprivation can vary drastically. For many people it causes drowsiness, moodiness, and a lack of control over their actions. Stress is also a common result of a lack of sleep and affects countless students, especially given the high-stakes environment a high school may pose.

With consistently lacking sleep schedules, people can become more vulnerable to mental illnesses and substance abuse. Depression is an especially concerning result of prolonged sleep deprivation.

One of the biggest inhibitors for a good night’s sleep tends to be excessive homework. Even if the student isn’t forced to work instead of sleeping, spending loads of time working may encourage them to stay up late to “make up” for the lack of free time.

It’s hard to force less work upon students, but nobody should have to spend their entire evening—and even a good chunk of the weekend—doing schoolwork.

Bill 733 would likely give sleep-deprived teenagers about one hour of additional sleep. More may need to be done to help protect the quality of students’ sleep, but that extra sleep could certainly be a step in the right direction.