By Sarah McNamara
Imagine setting your alarm for 7:30 AM instead of 6:30 AM on a Monday in September. This could soon be reality with the proposal to the Mashpee School Committee for a later start time at Mashpee Middle-High School.
They have proposed that the school day would start at 8:30 and be dismissed at 2:55 for the following school year, which would be the year of 2016-2017. The committee debated the decision at a meeting earlier this month in January, but a unanimous vote caused it to be pushed back and to be made in February. The school start times would be a major change in schedule for many students, parents and teachers.
Imagine setting your alarm for 7:30 AM instead of 6:30 AM on a Monday in September. This could soon be reality with the proposal to the Mashpee School Committee for a later start time at Mashpee Middle-High School.
They have proposed that the school day would start at 8:30 and be dismissed at 2:55 for the following school year, which would be the year of 2016-2017. The committee debated the decision at a meeting earlier this month in January, but a unanimous vote caused it to be pushed back and to be made in February. The school start times would be a major change in schedule for many students, parents and teachers.
The idea of a later school start time has sparked many different opinions. Some argue that the extra hour in the morning will benefit the performance and engagement of students. Others disagree, saying a later school start time will create mornings more difficult for working parents and will make many late nights for student athletes. A school start times committee with teachers, school administrators, and parents was set up to research the data and provide the town school committee with recommendations based on the data.
Brian Brodie, the head of the history department at Mashpee High School, is a member on the school start times committee. He said the data is clear and later start times show much improvement in test scores for students. When asked if he notices a change in engagement from first period to third period, he answered that there is a significant change even by second period, that students are more lively and involved even an hour later.
“For high school students the data shows that there are less tardies and grades improve,” he said. Mr. Brodie explained positive impacts such as the improvement of grades and attendance. Of the studies they researched the information for the overall school district was positive for increasing of grades.
Someone with a different opinion on later school start times was sophomore Noah Tellez. Being an athlete at MHS Noah said that he didn’t want to get home from practice later, which would shorten the amount of time left for homework.
“I plan on taking AP classes my junior year and I think it will be difficult to finish all the homework for those classes when I get home from practice an hour later, and still manage to go to bed at a reasonable hour,” Noah said in an interview.
Of the three students asked for their opinions about the start time, all agreed that they were simply pushing their normal routine back one hour. They each said they would be going to bed an hour later and therefore getting the same amount of sleep.
The different opinions from students, teachers, and parents make it unclear of which way the school committee will vote. Many different opinions in the matter create a harder decision when trying to meet the needs of so many different people.
The decision for a change in the start time is scheduled for the school committee’s meeting on Wednesday, February 1 and will change the schedules of many Mashpee residents.