Sleep

Every morning at 6:50 AM, my alarm drags me out of my peaceful slumber. Then another alarm chimes in at 7:00 AM and another at 7:15 AM. Each alarm is snoozed, and snoozed again, until my room sounds like an orchestra with alarms going off every minute. Finally, I defeat my body’s need for sleep and stagger out of bed. All over the island, students fight the same battle, and for the commuters who live off island, this feat is even greater. 

When the school bell rings at 8:05 AM and first period begins, I’m not in my seat. Since my first period class is publishing, it’s pretty important that I show up on time, but I’m tardy nearly every day. Filing into school a few minutes after the bell rings, I see many other students who are just as groggy, forced into a schedule that directly counters their biological clock. It feels as though the district has actually taken a step in the wrong direction this year because last year we started half an hour later at 8:35 AM. 

The elementary school students, on the other hand, ease out of bed in the morning since their school starts at 9:05 AM. I’m not asking for much here, and I’ll state it plainly: the elementary and middle/high school schedule needs to be flipped.

Science has proven time and time again that teens’ sleep schedules vary significantly from that of children and adults. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “puberty delays intrinsic melatonin release by 1-3 hours, resulting in a significant shift in circadian rhythms during adolescence.” A different study published in the American Economic Journal cited that teens’ melatonin production begins around 11:00 PM and peaks until about 7:00 AM, only stopping around 8:00 AM. However, elementary aged kids start producing melatonin between the earlier hours of 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM, and the hormone kicks in for adults around 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM. This proves that teenagers are on a different biological clock, but does an earlier wake up time actually affect our academic performance? Yes, it does in fact. This same study found that students who started school at 8:00 AM didn’t only perform worse in the first period class but faced academic repercussions in every single class. However, this negative effect significantly diminished with a 50 minute later start time.

The data I referenced only scratches the surface of the countless studies that prove middle and high school students benefit from a later arrival. So why in the world is VISD not making the change? The truth is that the idea is widely opposed by parents and coaches. The main concern of parents is based on scheduling logistics. Many working parents worry that a shift in the school's schedule will disrupt their work hours and childcare plans. For coaches, they are concerned that a later dismissal will push back practice and game times well into the evening, affecting their own schedules. While these arguments do hold some validity, our school structure must be based on the wellbeing of kids, not adults. Vashon Island is far behind our nation in ensuring students are getting enough rest. In 2022 a California law took effect, mandating that public schools start no earlier than 8:30 AM, and it’s time that VISD follows precedent. 

 For a school district that claims to be so progressive and “student centered”, the wishes of parents and coaches are prioritized over the biological needs of middle and high school students, and it’s simply unacceptable. 

When school starts at 9:05 on Fridays, I feel rested and thankful. However, it’s not enough; it's the way it should be every day.