Many schools in Kansas have a day per week where students go to school at a later time than usual, but should BHS have a late start?

Having a late start

There are many reasons why having a late start is a good idea. One of the most important pros of having a late start is teens and sleep deprivation. Most students can not keep their eyes open in their first period at school. To fix this, they may drink coffee or energy drinks. However, sleep deprivation is most impactful on teens than any other age group. Teens need precisely nine and a half hours of sleep, but most only get about seven to seven and a half. If teens are expected to only be getting seven hours of sleep per night, this means they go to bed around midnight. Then teens would wake up around 6 a.m. to shower, dress, and get ready for school. If BHS had a late start one day, students would have more time to get the hours of sleep they need.

Not having a late start

There are also reasons why having a late start is a bad idea. If we had a late start, then our school hours could go later into the day, and even longer for someone if they participate in a school sport. They would get home at a later time than usual. Most sport practices at BHS end at 5:30 p.m., so the time can be expanded to 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. Expanding practice time to end at a later time gives students less time for homework and other home activities. Another reason for not having a late start is even though we have an extra hour in the morning, students may use that for advantage and stay up at a later time. For these reasons, I believe BHS should not have a late start because days would be longer for the students and staff.