Have you ever woke up and wished you had just one extra hour of sleep before school? Starting school early in the morning has been a big issue for students and teachers of Omaha Public Schools.
Out of the 3 students and 3 teachers that I interviewed about a later start time, 100% agreed that it would help attendance rates around the school, and would allow students to be more awake, energized, and ready to learn.
Teachers are noticing this too. “Most absences happen in the first block of the day, but after that, students tend to show up more regularly. This shows that the early start time makes it hard for students to be on time and present early in the day,” Mr. Molinero said.
This attendance issue isn’t just numbers on a chart, it’s also connected to real challenges students face getting to school on time on a regular basis.
“Some older students have to drive younger siblings to school, and since buses don’t always run early enough, parents have to drop off the younger kids first,” Patterson said. “This means older students often end up late to their first class, which hurts attendance.”
Coach Patterson helps highlight the real life challenges that students face every morning, this impacts the students daily routines.
“The start time is too early. I don’t have enough time to wake up. I feel tired when I walk in, and I always want to take a nap in my first class,” Sophomore Caden Bell says. “A later start time would help activate my brain more, if I woke up at like, 8:30 instead of 6:30 in the morning.”
Many students agree that a later school day would be beneficial for them.
“If we started later I would be a lot more energetic and have more energy for my sports that I go to after school,” Senior Kamdyn Gee said. “I would be able to sleep in later in the morning and get a better sleep.”
