The Westport School Start Time Committee’s decision on Jan. 13, 2020 to push Staples’ start time from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. received a very positive initial reaction from the student body. For years, Staples students had argued in support of delaying the start time, citing evidence

about teenager’s natural sleep schedules. However, less than two years after the start time was delayed, there is a need for this decision to be reversed.

During the 2020-21 school year, the later school start time was implemented; however, school ended at 2:10 p.m. Flex time ran from 2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. and provided students with an opportunity to meet with their teachers. This schedule, with the combined delayed start time and the 30 minutes of flex time at the end of the day, allowed students to have an extra 30 minutes of sleep without impacting their after-school activities.

 This year, flex time was removed as Staples returned to the pre-Covid schedule. The school day now runs from 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Without flex time at the end of the day, the 30 minutes of required class time at the end of the day has made it challenging for all students who participate in after-school activities. 

First of all, the 2:45 p.m release time has caused student athletes to have countless early dismissals for games and meets. The schedule is divided into four morning and four afternoon classes, so students are consistently missing the same four classes. Missing classes is very challenging for students as it requires them to spend time at home making up the material that they missed. There is also no substitute for classroom instruction. Oftentimes, students feel as though they are falling behind from missing class and need to seek extra help. 

As a member of the Staples girls’ swim team, I have found the later start time to be detrimental to my learning. Swim practices begin at 3:00 p.m. and don’t end until 6:00 p.m.,compared to last year when swim practice ran from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This year, by the time I get home, shower, and eat dinner, I am first able to start working on homework around 7:30 p.m. Furthermore, I have had athletic dismissals as early as 12:45 p.m., meaning that I have missed two whole classes and part of a third class. It has been particularly challenging to miss so much class material and to be responsible for learning the content that I missed. I have lost more sleep making up the material that I missed than I would have if school began earlier. 

Other school districts have been experiencing challenges with having a later school start time including traffic issues and student athletes missing classroom instruction. On Sept. 15, The Norwalk Public Schools Board of Education reversed the 8:30 a.m. school start time to 7:30 a.m. after experiencing increased traffic and bus delays. Staples should follow suit in order to prevent students from missing classroom instruction and losing sleep as a result of making up missed material.