THE BECK BUZZ
BREAKING NEWS
LATER SCHOOL START TIMES -
A Blessing Or A Curse
By Lauren Rinehart
8th Grade
Picture this: You stay after school for drama club. Immediately, you rush home to grab a bite before going to soccer practice and right to swim. By the time you get home, it's 9, and you still have to do a math worksheet, study for a vocab test, and complete a science project. Though it's possible to finish your work before 10 or 11, you constantly check social media and FaceTime your friends. By the time you are finished, it's midnight. Exhausted, you collapse on your bed, and it feels like only a few minutes have passed before your alarm jolts you awake. Drowsy and with a lingering headache, you get ready for school and march off to the bus stop.
Each day, you go through the same cycle again and again. Sleep deprivation among middle schoolers is more common than you may think. According to the CDC, with a teen’s busy schedule, increased workload, and social media distractions, 60% of middle schoolers tended to get much less than the recommended 8-10 hours. Early school start times don’t help and are negatively affecting students here at Beck.
Later school start times are a necessity for Beck students. A recent survey found that most students averaged going to bed from 10 pm to midnight, with the majority going to bed at 11:00. Most students say that they awoke at 6-7, with the majority waking up at 6:30. This means that, on average, most students will get 7 and a half hours of sleep. However, increased homework loads and sports practices can decrease this number immensely.
“I play basketball for two teams in the winter and one team in the summer. I just finished a season of cross country and soccer in the fall and spring. I also play softball for up to three teams in the spring, and swim in the summer,” a Beck student explained. “I am really stressed a bunch of the time because I have so much HW, along with all my sports.” Many other students also emphasized the increased work haul and overwhelming amounts of activities, that cause them to crawl into bed at late hours. Later school start times allow them a way to refresh their minds and satisfy their sleep needs, without sacrificing valuable homework time.
“Later school start times would make me work better because I can get a better night's sleep,” a survey taker notes. “It will make me more motivated to do school work, and I would do better. I would be happier to be in school!” Nearly 78% of Beck students agree that starting school later would have a positive impact on both their physical and mental health, with another 14% stating their slight agreement.
Do you think that school start times should be later?
However, despite the student’s strong opinions regarding these possible changes, many challenges can arise while putting them into place. In the recent past, this idea has been brought up to the school board.
PARENTS SUGGEST EARLIER SCHOOL START TIMES FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS noted that “four recommendations [were made by] the steering committee…. to the board in February [2022]” (Liu).
Unfortunately, many challenges, including later dismissals, prevented the idea from being put into action. Among these were the shortage of bus drivers and the challenge of providing transportation within these circumstances.
According to Dr. Morton, the acting superintendent and former assistant superintendent, “The fact of the matter is there is a deficiency of bus drivers available. Staffing is just a concern and it’s just a reality, so even if we were to make recommendations for changes, the reality is where we are currently, the bus drivers would probably not be able to fulfill the routes, and we would frustrate the community members.”
Despite students’ positive views on later school start times, many parents are opposed to this, especially those of elementary school students.
In an article published in the Cherry Hill Sun by Emily Liu, “There were two thought exchanges, one in March open to all and one in December of last year which focused exclusively on elementary families… It revealed three key challenges to changing the school start time: transportation, athletics, and before and after school-care needs.”
Due to the young age of elementary school students, many require supervision while their parents are at work. Changing the school start times may leave young students unsupervised, which could be a challenge for many elementary families.
Additionally, delaying school start times could disrupt sports and other after-school activities. Starting school later would cause after-school activities to be delayed. Whether associated with the school or not, sports practices and games would be pushed later and later.
“I won't be able to do a lot of my homework,” a respondent to the Later School Start Times Beck survey explained.
This topic continues to be debated throughout the Cherry Hill Public School District and many other schools across the country.
“Kids need more sleep!” six-grader, Penelope Cunningham exclaims. “By not getting a lot of sleep, they can’t focus on academics, which might lower their test scores or assignment scores. I could definitely get more sleep and get more done in the morning. Kids could also be earlier to school since they have more time to get ready.”
Overall, later school start times would benefit both students and staff alike, leading them to thrive physically and academically. From decreased tardiness to increased well-being, students could improve their mental health and increase their academic skills. Despite the potential challenges, later school start times can offer a positive change to our schools and help students perform to the best of their abilities.