Until this year we have been given late-start Wednesdays every week. It is an opportunity to sleep in, have more time to get ready, or get a treat from Starbucks in the morning.

This year, there are six new Wednesdays when we don’t have the privilege of a late start. One of these days was the day after Halloween. For the morning after a night where many students stayed up late to celebrate — school night or not —  administration should have moved last week’s non late start to another week.

The day after Halloween is a day that some students had their parents call them out “sick” so they don’t have to go to school. They stay up late and beg their parents to stay home because they are so sleep deprived and “wouldn’t be able to focus.” Also it was senior ditch day, so almost all the seniors were “sick” that day.

I had my first interaction with this when I was in middle school. I stayed out late trick-or-treating with friends and we slept over at one of the girls’ houses. I was not, and am not, allowed to miss school under any circumstance unless, perhaps, I have Ebola or am vomiting uncontrollably. Each of those girls were called out of school the day after Halloween except me.

My middle school friends’ parents gave some leeway on the widely celebrated holiday at the end of October. Additionally, it is a common tradition for teachers to push homework to the next day or not assign homework at all the night of Halloween, simply because students will not do it.

The same should have been so for this year’s non-late start for the day after Halloween. It should have been pushed to the next week, at least. Students getting called out of school or just ditching is not uncommon after Halloween, this year is no exception, as it was Senior ditch day. Students want their precious late start and the absence of it this year was reflected in the attendance sheets.

“[Last week’s non late start] just happened to be Nov 1…. There was no strategy in regards to it being post-Halloween,” principal Cesar Morales said when asked for a quote.

Also, it is never too late to enact change for future years “post-Halloween”. Not all weeks are Late start which gives flexibility for later years to have any non-late starts a week’s separation between it and halloween

Parents and teachers compromise every year to allow students to enjoy some of our last Halloween celebrations as young and carefree kids. Administration, however, is lacking the holiday spirit to give us a break.