Late Start Every Day and the Bill That Could Have Made It Possible
Oct 10, 2018
Sleep.
The Student Senate, which met for the first time in Feb. 2018 in the cafeteria, is a body of students representing all grade levels. After bringing the idea of a 8 a.m. start time to teachers and admin, Principal César Morales brought the idea to the student senate for a discussion of the pros and cons.
We all need it. We all could use more of it. A recent bill that passed across Governor Edmund Brown’s desk last month could have moved all high school start times in California to 8:30 a.m. at the earliest.
Sleep deprivation and general lack of sleep in teens is not uncommon. One of the ways our school combats this is Late-Start Wednesdays.
The bill ultimately did not pass. California bill SB-328 passed through the Senate on Aug. 31 and was sent to the governor to decide no later than Sept. 30. The governor vetoed the bill which would have prohibited middle and high schools from starting before 8:30 a.m. except in rural areas.
“This is a one-size-fits-all approach that is opposed by teachers and school boards. …These are the types of decisions best handled in the local community,” Governor Brown cited in his statement with the bill.
Our school is run and regulated locally by our school district, CUSD. Superintendent Dr.Benjamin Churchill says the board has no current plans to change to a later start time.
“If Sage Creek makes a recommendation to the district office for a later start time, our team would then analyze the recommendation,” Churchill explains.
Churchill adds that Sage Creek administrators have been weighing and considering the issue of a later start time. Principal César Morales says the conversation started late last school year; he is looking into the idea of an 8:00 a.m. start time and the implications/intricacies of moving it forward.
“I would say [the status is] unknown because it’s like any decision that you’re trying to vett: you want to go through and do what is the fact-finding and identify any points that may be a challenge,” Morales says.
He notes that he hopes to pitch a proposal that will address any and all challenges.
The bill that went through the governor’s office last month is not the ‘end all’ for this measure. Our local community is weighing the possibility of moving to a year-long, later start time, so this is not the last you will hear of it.
Christian Rocha ◊ Nov 8, 2018 at 10:04 am
Damn I really wished this passed. I wouldn’t have to wake up at 5. Since I have ADHD coffee, redbull, and Monster just makes me tired.
Connor La Bianco ◊ Oct 28, 2018 at 4:25 pm
I think that all schools in California should have a start time at 8:00 PM. This is because many people get a lack of sleep and find it hard to counter. Those of us with ADHD get more tired from drinking coffee and many people do not want to drink coffee because it affects body growth in negative ways. To counter the homework stress due to less time being able to do it, school hours should be made longer and homework should be taken out of the schedule unless on rare occasions as that gives teachers more time to cover topics in class so the student will not need to practice at home. Also if the student is doing the work in class they may ask their teacher for help because many parents struggle to help their kids because of criteria changes. There are many things that can be fixed about the education system in California and many other states and I personally think that these actions should be taken because if you are tired, you are more likely to fall asleep in class and miss how to do a certain math problem or miss certain instructions for a project. Being tired affects the rate of learning and it also leads to procrastination. Also, middle school students should be allowed to use electronic devices at breaks because using these does not affect learning and gives the student mental stimulation so they procrastinate less and they work harder. Using electronics should not be treated differently than reading a book because a book can also be a distraction. Another big problem in schools is that students can be put on the spot by their teacher when they do not understand a certain concept. This may not be much of a problem for an extrovert but for introverts, it takes a lot of effort to even talk to other people, let alone be called up to explain something you do not understand to a whole class. Many of these problems I have stated should be taken into account and should be focused on and fixed. As a student, I struggle with many of these problems and although I have stated some fixes to some of these problems, that does not mean that there are not better fixes that could help students. Hopefully, this comment may be taken into account. Thanks for reading and possibly taking these points into consideration.
Andrew Emde ◊ Oct 22, 2018 at 7:20 pm
I really do not think we should have later start because us kids are going to go home later and it will result in having to go to bed even later making us get probably even less sleep than we did before. It would also be bad for kids who have sports outside of school and have them early. Kids also have appointments to go to and and it would result in kids missing them. If this bill made school end at the same time with a late start, it would be voted on by every single person in California (except for teachers). I just do not see the point in havving a bill that will result in even less sleep for the majority of the student body.
Conor Spiltzberg ◊ Oct 17, 2018 at 6:36 pm
Benni, coffee is not enough, you gotta drink PURE LIQUIDIZED CAFFIENE.
Benni Ogilvie ◊ Oct 15, 2018 at 1:09 pm
Andrew, not all of us can drink coffee. For instance, for people like with me with ADHD, coffee just makes us tired.
Makoa Bryson ◊ Oct 11, 2018 at 8:35 pm
Interesting article! I like the quotes directly from main sources of policy, really builds credibility. I personally would have preferred a later starting time in high school … guess that’s what off roles are for! Also, would starting later mean getting out later? or a longer school year? Great job Ari and Gavyn!
Andrew Coviello ◊ Oct 10, 2018 at 10:54 am
Lol just drink coffee