Committee pushes for later school start time

Meredith Paterson, Staff Writer

A committee of the Algonquin Parent Teacher Association has proposed that the start time for high schoolers should be pushed back because many researchers have found that a later school start time will improve students’ overall sleep cycles and academics.
Sleep studies show that an average teenager needs about nine hours of sleep per night. Since melatonin, the hormone that signals the brain to sleep, is not released until about 11 p.m. for teenagers, teens are only getting about seven hours of sleep per night, even if they go to bed earlier.
The APTO committee proposes that the start time should be pushed back since high school students go to bed too late due to a mix of college stress, academic stress, and extracurricular activities. By moving the start time back, students theoretically are able to get more sleep, making it easier for them to actively learn to their full potentials.
“ [The] consequences of too little sleep substantially interfere not only with academic performance, but raise a host of other health problems,” said APTO commitee member Mary Hammaker.
While it’s a common opinion that teenagers should get more sleep, changing school time is not so easy.
Principal Tom Mead supports the APTO project and their intentions, but he feels that the actual result is not as easily reached as it is discussed.
“There is lots of physiological evidence to underline the importance of teen sleep. I support the ATPO and their work to try and make this change. I feel that we should start collecting some data, try to support this hypothesis we have created. By collecting data to figure out students morning activities and other things we are able to create a clearer idea and argument for the skeptical parents, who are the people that are most important,” Mead said.
“Unfortunately we live, from a latitude perspective, in a place that has dramatic changes in daylight. [If] high school is pushed to a later start time and elementary schools take the place of high school, we will have kindergarteners waiting for the bus in the dark which isn’t a good idea either,” Mead said.
“I agree with the objectives…if school were to start later, less tardiness could be a positive outcome from this, as well as improvement in the rhythms in teenage sleep cycles,” Mead said.
“ I think if we pushed school back, even if it was only forty five minutes, I would definitely feel more awake than I do now. Even if the later school start time made me go to bed later the night before, the idea that I am sleeping in later would trick my mind into thinking it was more rested even if I wasn’t,” said junior Abbie Reynolds.
“ I think it’s really good idea. If we tried i think we could get this going within the next couple years. Pushing school start time would be really beneficial to the school, especially the students,” said junior Julia Leukowitz, daughter of Mary Hammaker.
“I would give it about two to five years before things go into effect,” Mead said.