This year, students and staff members at Highland Park High School have had to adjust to a new start time. Instead of starting off A period at 7:48 AM and first period at 8:41 AM, the 2023-2024 school year shifted these times to 8:10 AM and 9:00 AM respectively. The change not only affects morning routines and commutes but also pushes clubs and sports to begin at 3:10 PM instead of 3:00 PM.
Although some may fail to see the benefit in pushing the schedule by 20 minutes, Mr. Richardson highlights a few key motivations behind this decision, the main one being recent studies on teens’ sleep cycles. This research indicates that later school start times benefit students and their education because teen circadian rhythms best suit a 10:00 or 11:00 PM bedtime, which would get students closer to the recommended nine hours of sleep. Mr. Richardson also mentions that the later start time helps students who work or are involved in extracurriculars to have enough time to complete their school work while getting their needed rest.
While the intent behind the change in start time was for the benefit of the students, some expressed mixed opinions on the delay. Supporter of the new start time Beck Hume stated, “As someone who had been chronically late through all of high school, I like it a lot because I have a lot more time in the morning…This year it’s fine. I’m here on time most days and have time to walk to school instead of rushing to drive. It’s pretty great.” Others, like Delya Chiu, are on the other side of the opinion. “I’d rather go to school earlier and end earlier than go to school later and end later. I liked last year’s schedule.”
Students aren’t the only ones affected by the 8:10 AM start. One teacher says, “I don’t think it is having its intended effect on students. It also sets up a disadvantage for teachers with children who aren’t in this school district who need to pick up their kids.” Mr. Richardson thinks it's premature to determine if the change will enhance student academics because there are multiple variables to consider during the monitoring phase. Whether it does or not, students should get used to the new schedule and take advantage of the extra rest they can get.