I agree with the fact that teens need more sleep, but as a fellow member of Speech and Debate, practices can last up to 3 hours. So if we end an hour later. I’ll be home at 7! This obviously gives students less time for commitments and less time in general. How would we solve the issue? Ease the workload? This is a whole entire new conversation, and perhaps article. But overall I really liked this work. Great job!
With more work in the evening, some students will be inclined to stay up later knowing that school will start at 8:30 a.m., meaning the late start model could prove to have no effect.
It’s going to be weird to see if the later start time has any affect on how much sleep students get. Like Michelle Han said, if we start later, we end later, which means any extracurricular activities will be pushed back. So that means we go to bed later and get up just a little bit better. Nonetheless, very well written and I’m still excited for the later start times.This is a good idea for some. Obviously teenagers need more sleep around ages 13-18. But then, we would get out around late afternoon, loosing time for homework and sports. But I think the admin will find a way to fix the times perhaps. Many students feel that the 45-minute difference won’t have a big impact on their health, as it just negatively impacts the efficiency of afternoon schedules, especially since 7:45 a.m. has worked for so long. Joining nearby school districts such as the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, RJUHSD will abide by the bill Governor Gavin Newsome signed in 2019, stating that all California high schools’ start times should begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. by the 2022-23 school year (SB 328).“I see both sides of the coin: the health benefit of starting later … and there’s a risk of the after school activities, with a later start schedule running later, and potentially causing a later bedtime for the students. And that, I think, poses a little bit of a concern,” Hansen said, “But I think the health benefits of more rest for the developing brain … and the mental health of the students maybe outweighs the concern I have for the hectic after-school schedule.”
Great quotes! I agree, I do not prefer the later start because that would mean school ends later. It would ensure less time after school for homework and extracurriculars.Michelle Han, a freshman at GBHS, currently invests herself in tennis, which takes two hours four days a week, and speech and debate, which itself is a big commitment with practices after school and weekend tournaments. Her schedule after school would be packed and extended to even later in the evening when the bill goes into effect.
“However, … if you’re going to start later you’re also going to end later so … a lot of my (extracurriculars are) going to be pushed back later. I’ll probably have … less time … because I do most of my homework … in the evening,” Han said, “(and there’s a) perception that … since it’s starting later, I’ll just sleep … two hours later.”Supported by the California State Parent Teacher Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the bill will improve adolescents’ health to address the “night owl” syndrome. The circadian rhythm in a teen’s body adjusts during this period of time, which releases melatonin later. Scientifically speaking, since students would not be able to fall asleep until later and tend to wake up later in the morning to fulfill their 9-11 hours of sleep, adjusting later bell schedules would be a benefactor to their health.
However, starting later inevitably leads to later end times to fulfill an adequate amount of school instructional time, and for VDLHS, school is currently ending at 3:45 p.m.Shagun Juthani, a sophomore at Vista del Lago High School (whose start times are already at 8:30 a.m.), is able to get an appropriate eight hours of sleep.I think this is good because it can help students get more sleep, though getting out later is not the best. You just have less time in the day to do things.
If RJUHSD adapts that late of a release time, extracurricular activities would also be taken on a toll, as multiple activities are pushed later in the evening.
“I just wish we can meet in the middle a little bit and … maybe we don’t need a full hour that maybe half an hour … would actually be enough to help students be a little bit more awake in the morning,” McCann said.On the other hand, working parent Johanne Phan, a parent of a junior and freshman at GBHS, supports the bill and its positive health effects over bustling mornings or squeezed afternoons. She believes that both students and parents will be able to adjust to the schedule.
“I think it’s an opportunity to get a little bit more sleep and not have such a chaotic morning. Have a little bit more … time to get the day started … and be efficient in the morning and get some things done,” Julie Hansen, a stay-at-home parent to three children of which one is a freshman at Granite Bay High School, said.
Great interview quotes! I think that later start times would be nice in the mornings, but, as I swim competitively for a club, I won’t get to swim on time and will miss valuable training time.
“Transportation is one of the bigger issues that we’ll be facing (with) schools with a different start time,” Gregory Sloan, an assistant principal at GBHS, said.
“I do think it’ll be inconvenient for (my parents) because (my parents’ workplaces won’t) change the timings just because school starts later,” Batul Zanzi, a sophomore at GBHS, said, “I feel it is not that effective and won’t do much.”I’m not a huge fan of the idea to start later, myself. I don’t have a problem falling asleep at 9:30 and waking up at 6, and I like having a little bit of free time in the evening rather than rushing to cram everything in. I think starting just half an hour later would be enough, or just make our Wednesday schedule the norm, but ending so much later is kind of a pain.
