The Squeeze on Zs: Parkway Students Fatigued by Early Start Times
Parkway moved high school start times back to 7:35 a.m. Some students and sleep researchers say it's too early, but Parkway officials say the school day length puts them in a time crunch, too.
When Zack Becker fell asleep near the end of his third hour algebra and trigonometry class, it took the teacher and other students five minutes to wake him up. This year, the Parkway School District moved high school start times back from 8 a.m. last year to 7:35 a.m., subtracting precious minutes of slumber from students’ sleep schedules. The move was recommended by the Project Parkway task force, which included parents and staff. The change move the middle school start time from 7:25 a.m.--even earlier than the current high school schedule--to 8:15 a.m. Becker, a sophomore at Parkway North High School, is in the marching band, which meets before school. During band season, the group met at 6:30 a.m. for practice, meaning Becker had to …
In this Article:
Terra Ziporyn Snider, Ph.D.
7:30 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Zack, unfortunately working out school schedules requires insider knowledge and varies with the demographics, topography, and economy of a local community. However, if your school leaders truly want to figure out a way to send every child to school at times best for learning and health, they can contact me through Start School Later’s website (http://www.startschoollater.net/). We can connect … more ›