As time has gone on, it feels like high school students have been forced to wake up earlier and earlier each year just to be able to get ready and get to school on time. As this year comes to an end, some rumors of changes for next year have been going around. The one rumor that we are focusing on is that there has been talk of making the start time even earlier yet again.

Many students think that although they would be getting out of school earlier, this may be a bad idea. Arguably, students can barely make it to school on time as it is and since Covid student attendance issues have been worse, resulting in them falling behind on classwork.

Many people worry that with another disruption to student schedules, it will only cause them to fall behind even more. Many people work better on a routine, and with a routine that gets switched around every year, it not only makes it hard for the children but for their families, coaches, and bosses too.

Not only in most people’s opinions would it be better for them not to change the start time to earlier, but with research, it also shows kids are more productive in getting work done when they get better sleep.

Arguments, of course, could be made that students could just go to bed earlier; however, everyone knows that teenagers will stay up late whether that be because of sports, work, talking on the phone with friends, watching tv, or even playing video games. So with less and worse sleep, this will show a decrease in work ethic and how well they complete their work. With all this being said not only will this lack of sleep negatively affect schoolwork, it will negatively affect their health and quality of life.

Students interviewed also show concerns.

 “Yeah, I have to wake up 6 am just, so I can get my stuff together in the morning because if I try and work it all out at night, I will be up till like midnight; I feel ever since the start time changed, I have just been losing more and more sleep,” says junior Olivia Loftus.

 We spoke to another student Freshman Will Craven, and he stated his perspective on the athlete side of the start time

 Craven said, “I feel as a freshman that I do not have a lot of room to complain with this being my first year, but it is rough sometimes going to practice till like 7:30 and then doing an hour of homework, so I can keep my grades up and then going to bed around 11 PM just to wake up at 6:30 AM in the morning to do it again; it can be exhausting for kids.” 

Not only could this new start time continue to negatively affect students; it is time to push the start time back and let the students get the sleep they need.