Later school times are not the answer for students

Most school experts say we need to get eight to nine hours of sleep to function properly. This is certainly true for public school children, if they are to correctly assimilate academic material from day to day.

When I attended public school, my parents expected me, with very few exceptions, to be in bed (lights out) at 9 p.m. I would wake up at 6 a.m., have breakfast and walk to school, arriving at 7:30 a.m. Thus, I routinely got my necessary sleep.

Many school officials, as well as some parents, are saying that today’s students are not getting adequate sleep, and that is translating to poor academic performance. The same folks go on to say that the way to correct the problem is by having a later start to the school day. This is not the solution.

What has changed to bring about the hue and cry for a later start to the public school day? There are perhaps many answers to this complicated issue, but two distinct ones come to mind.

First is the technological evolution which has occurred in the last 10 to 15 years. It is a rare student who does not possess a portable iPhone, iPad or other device. Many of these devices find their way into the bedroom and keep the student awake communicating with friends or playing video games late into the night. Many students will admit to sending as many as 50 to 60 texts per day, often during the night or early morning hours.

The second cause of this change is even more perverse. Many of today’s parents are abdicating their parental responsibility. Rather than establish and enforce reasonable rules and expectations of their children, they do very little in this regard or turn away from it completely. They, as well as some school authorities, are enabling bad behavior.

The decision to have later school starts sends the message to public school children that it’s OK to practice bad habits and to defy the expectations of parents. If the change takes place, as it most likely will, it will be for the wrong reasons.

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