Students clad in pajamas and draped in sleeping bags demonstrated outside school board headquarters in Montgomery County on Monday, urging support for later high school start times that would allow them to get more rest.
The “sleep-in” — replete with bathrobes, teddy bears and fuzzy slippers — came on the eve of a school board vote, expected Tuesday, on whether to shift school schedules at Montgomery’s 25 high schools, where classes now begin at 7:25 a.m.
“I have a lot of trouble concentrating on what we’re discussing in class, and most of the time I’m just focusing on trying to stay awake,” said Theresa Davison, 15, a Walter Johnson High School freshman who was tucked under sleeping bags beside her sister, Natalie, 13, on a 36-degree afternoon.
A student nearby called out: “What do we want?”
“More sleep!” the crowd replied.
“What do we need?”
“More sleep!”
This scene could be anywhere in the DC Metro area. Sleepy kids heading out for the bus stop at oh-dark-hundred. Students starting their cars and heading out at the crack of dawn. This hour is an anathema to teenagers. Their biological clocks are not set to get up at 4:30 or 5:00 A.M. It is cruel and unusual punishment. According to the WaPo:
Those who have pushed for change point to research showing that teens are biologically wired for later sleep cycles and that lack of sleep is linked to mental health problems, an increased risk of car crashes and a decline in school performance. Teenagers need between eight and 10 hours of sleep a night, and biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence, experts at the National Sleep Foundation say.
Our kids are not getting enough sleep. Period. My kids went to school in the dark when they reached high school. It was just dreary and depressing. They came home and either slept or worked, did some homework and repeated the same scene over and over. Some kids are designed to not need much sleep. Others crave it. Some folks are morning people. Some are night owls.
I was always the night owl type. To this day, all throughout my career, I fought my dislike and dysfunction involving mornings. I would probably be a drop out if I had to go to school like our kids do now, especially those with long bus rides or drives to school.
Make no mistake, it’s all about money and athletics, although money trumps. Bus runs and cost rule most counties. Any time buses can be recycled, that is going to happen. Larger counties actually have a little more advantage. The earlier school dismisses, the sooner the athletes can start in on their afternoon routines also. It used to be rare to find a coach who opposed starting school as early as possible.
Hopefully, school boards in the area, especially Prince William County Schools will continue to look at the issue and do what is possible to push the school start time back as far as possible for high school students. I suspect over time, grades and attitudes would improve tremendously. I expect there are even ways to pull this off without breaking the bank.
It is surprising that more teachers don’t recommend a later start time. Perhaps some folks are used to starting and ending their day early. I think current times are devastating to the kids who need sleep the most. But that’s just me, speaking as a parent, grandparent, and former educator.
Notice in the video, in Montgomery County, it was all about money. It just seems wrong for kids to be going to school in the dark most of the school year.
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PS : Oh happy day, Day Light Saving begins in less than a month! First Sunday in March. Cheer!
