Students Call for Delays in School Start Times

Many high school students feel that the 7:25 a.m. first bell rings far too early. Many students are seen sleepwalking through the halls, struggling to just take that one extra stride up the steps to English class. Although extracurricular commitments and heavy academic workloads are two key factors that can contribute to a student’s lack of sleep, many students seem to agree that the school start time is far too early, regardless of their workloads.

Sophomore Kasey Caroll, who is currently enrolled in seven academic classes, has no trouble getting to sleep at a reasonable time each night.

“I start my homework right after school, eat dinner, and usually hit the hay around 9-9:30 each night,” Caroll said. “I usually get around seven to eight hours of sleep.”

Compared to other students, Caroll slides into bed relatively early. However, even Caroll often feels overwhelmed and groggy in the early morning hours.

“A few of my friends get close to four to five hours of sleep and are beyond swamped [with work], [but] I get almost double that amount [of sleep] and feel the same [way that they do] each morning,” Caroll said.

Caroll, among others, also believes that his academic performance is highly affected by this early start time.

“During [the first semester], I earned three Bs, in my morning classes, and four As, in my afternoon classes. It’s nearly impossible to focus in class [with] an insufficient amount of sleep,” Caroll said

Sophomore Alex LaFontaine agrees with Caroll on all of these aspects, but also believes that a lack of sleep during the week plunges students deep into sleep debts when the weekend rolls around, and as a result they have to catch up on the sleep they missed during the week.

“On Saturdays, I feel even more exhausted…The weekends are meant to be enjoyed, and I can’t enjoy them if I’m stuck in bed,” LaFontaine said. “I spend most Saturdays sleeping until noon, which completely throws off my [sleeping] schedule.”

LaFontaine and Caroll mutually agree that a lack of sleep can harm one’s life and health in many ways, which in turn often leads to poor performance in school. However, sophomore Devesh Sullivan takes a different point of view and disagrees with the two students’ beliefs.

“We have more than enough time to get a sufficient amount of sleep while at the same time completing work,” Sullivan said. “It’s all about time management. I played soccer in the fall and returned home at around 5. I focused myself on my work and was able to get into bed by eight-thirty most nights, getting over nine hours of sleep each night. The kids that complain about a lack of sleep simply don’t manage their time well.”

Sullivan’s argument rings true for some students, such as sophomore Patrick Winter, who doesn’t start working on their homework as soon as they get home from school.

“After track practice, I come home and watch Netflix for a good hour,” said Winter. “Most kids aren’t able to focus on homework for five hours straight, it’s nearly impossible. Being students, we have priorities and hobbies that extend outside of the classroom. You can’t expect students to [work straight] for an entire day, [we] need a break.”

The MCPS School Board is seriously considering the implementation of a change in the high school start times, come the 2015-16 school year. MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr has held many public forums at different locations to try to gather input from students and parents. It’s no secret that many of the students at WJ are in favor of start times being changed. Many feel that they could benefit greatly from this change, not just because they want more sleep, but because they feel they need more sleep. With a later school start time, students’ grades could potentially skyrocket, which is another selling point for those who want to improve MCPS’ national and/or international standing.

 

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