Over the past couple of years, one primary point of contention between parents and school officials has revolved around the start time of the school day. Opinions on this matter vary, but as a student, it’s apparent that a slight adjustment to the waking hours of most members of the WA community could be beneficial. I personally know very few who would complain about gaining a little extra sleep.
Even an additional half-hour of sleep could prove immensely helpful for many students, providing them with extra rest or time to complete homework left unfinished the night before. As a senior at WA, I can find myself juggling various commitments related to school, such as college applications, work, and homework. While high school students are generally responsible, the tendency to procrastinate can lead to staying up late, compromising time for much-needed sleep.
While it’s true that students bear some responsibility for managing their time and commitments, it seems unreasonable that the school start time exacerbates the situation.
Waking up before sunrise for school, especially in the winter, can be particularly challenging. During my sophomore and junior years, I took the bus to school and would have to walk alone in the dark on a wooded trail to my bus stop which was ten minutes away. Some argue that this difficulty mirrors the demands of the real world, but from the perspective of myself and fellow students, it often hinders our ability to focus fully in class due to insufficient sleep.
Many students can be seen resorting to sleeping during class as a consequence of late-night studying for upcoming assessments or fulfilling prior commitments. The ongoing debate about sleep has been the subject of discussion for years, and has even been written about in the past years in this article: Opinion: early start times do more harm than good. However, it hasn’t changed in a significant way for our student life.
Concerns about potential conflicts with extracurricular activities, including sports being late in the afternoon, clubs not lining up with middle school times, and workplaces going to have to adapt to new schedules are all valid. Yet, I believe that adjusting school start times could yield long-term benefits for both students and teachers. Research conducted by reputable organizations such as the CDC and the National Center for Education Statistics supports the notion that a later school start time could positively impact student health, behavior, and academic performance. Sleeping in general is simply an important function of the human body, as it serves as a reset from the day before, but if this is not satisfied, people will not have the chance to be refreshed and ready for a new day.
However, there must be a way around that, and I think that it is time for WA, and maybe even all of Westford Public Schools, to make school start later for the health of the students, faculty, and people in town just to get some more sleep. Moving back the start times to 8 a.m. for WA, and adding that same half-hour difference for other schools in town, would be perfect. It wouldn’t push end times of school too late, but it would allow students to have a little more time in the morning and potentially focus more in the classroom, as well.
