The Atrocity of School Start Times at Pennridge High School
School Backpack
The current school start times are affecting the productivity and success of both the students and teachers at Pennridge High School. We can not expect students and teachers to be functioning at their fullest and attentive if they are barely awake.
With later school start times, there might be some interference with after-school obligations, such as clubs, sports, and jobs. Theresa Rizzo, a student at Pennridge High School, stated how later school start times would affect her job, since, “I have to get to work at 4 and it takes half an hour to get there.” There would also be a lot of money spent on both transportation and school schedule changes. It is unknown whether it would be worth the money and time spent to change the schedule in order to make later school start times practical. There is also the debate if sleep directly correlates to one’s grades. “Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Bloomington, Minnesota, public schools characterized the academic benefits as ‘small’ but the sleep increases as ‘large’” (Barshay).
On the contrary, there was a study that stated, “For instance, one study by the National Sleep Foundation found that both attendance and graduation rates ‘significantly improved’ in schools that delayed their start times to 8:30 a.m. or later” (Durrani). Stephanie Nash, a psychology teacher and member of the school start time committee at Pennridge High School, stated now, “I think depending on the class, you would see fewer tardies first period.” With better attentiveness, attendance, and motivation in both students and teachers, the school day will be more effective in all aspects. There are also multiple studies that suggest the later school start times allow for fewer disciplinary issues, less drug and alcohol usage, and less bullying and risky behavior. Even though a transition period would be needed to make the change, the long-term benefits would be worth the time it takes to rework the system.
Sources:
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/benefits-of-later-school-start-times
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2019/10/later-school-start-times-is-no-solution-for-teenagers/
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/school-and-sleep/later-school-start-times
Jessica Remphrey, Grade 12. Interests/hobbies include dancing, NHS, playing video games, spending time with friends and family, and watching crime documentaries....
