Recently there has been a movement in town about the possibility of moving back school start times as some neighboring towns have done. Although this step may benefit the developing teenage mind, there’s a lot more to talk about than the time we set our alarm clocks to.
Almost daily, our inboxes contain the typical forwarded survey from a student here. Each one asks largely the same questions: How many hours of sleep do you get per night? How many AP classes are you taking? How long is your daily commute to school? However, these survey results go into math projects and research papers, they do not influence actual town happenings.
The initial movement to push start times back was started by parents and seventh graders from Saxe. While their actions are well-intended, the reality is that after moving up to high school, the workload and activity load dramatically increases. Nevertheless, one important voice has been strangely quiet on this issue: the NCHS students. So what does this silence on this issue tell us?
In the past students from the high school have never been afraid to speak out. From organizing a school wide walkout in solidarity with students from Parkland to videos protesting changes in our library, students here are passionate and do not remain quiet. However, no major movements have been made by the students to encourage the district to move start times later, which leads to the question: are start times really the main factor for the sleep deprivation of kids? Or are there other factors that are being ignored in the rush for later start times?
This student silence should indicate that changing school start times would treat the symptom, not the disease. Why do students get only six hours of sleep on average: increasing nightly homework, longer practices and rehersals, and other committments so “important” to college applications. In the grand scheme of things, the time students wake up is only a minor factor of why many feel overwhelmed and stressed. As the debate continues, it’s important to consider the possibility that, while a step in the right direction, later start times may not be the panacea many expect it to be.
