STAFF-ED TWO VIEWS: Florida schools snooze their alarms

Written by staff writer Isabela Duarte. This article reflects the opinion of the highlights 2023-2024 staff.

YES:

STARTING SCHOOL exceptionally early has always been a complaint among students, motivated by the combination of late nights caused by schoolwork and early mornings needed to get to school on time. House Bill 733, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, requires schools statewide to delay their schedules, with high schools beginning no earlier than 8:30 a.m. starting June 2026. These changes are bound to positively affect students’ learning environments and schedules by giving them more rest time and opportunities to find a healthy balance in their lives.

“Starting school later will help lessen the stress as most students are sleep deprived as it is, so this will help us find a balance,” sophomore Eliem Salazar said.

To retain information provided by teachers during students’ early morning classes, being alert is crucial. If students are not properly rested and have lingering feelings of tiredness from rising early, their academic performance is bound to be affected.

Data from the National Sleep Foundation indicates that later school start times can lead to increased alertness during morning classes, resulting in higher academic engagement.

“Because school starts so early, I have to wake up really early, and even then, I don’t feel like it is enough time to finish my morning tasks,” junior Jade Peréz said.

In addition, one out of three students report that they do not have breakfast before school, according to BioMed Central. Students often feel nauseous early in the morning, which prevents them from having breakfast, a vital factor in boosting energy and increasing awareness which results in improved involvement during classes. Moreover, starting school early in the morning puts students that face long commute times from their homes at a disadvantage.

Research conducted in 2021 at the University of Minnesota found that delaying school start times resulted in decreasing tardiness. With later start times, these students will be able to have an extra hour to rest for the school day ahead and will be less likely to arrive late.

Natural sleep patterns in humans, or circadian rhythms, impact general health and students’ academic performance. Teenagers typically experience a shift in their circadian rhythms that makes them feel more aware and awake later in the day. According to the journal Sleep Medicine, teenagers naturally feel more alert in the evening and have a harder time falling asleep early at night.

“Many studies show adolescents learn better later in the day, and that is what this bill is based on,” Student Services Department Chair Beatrice Pedroso said.

The overall well-being and educational needs of students will improve greatly as this is implemented for reasons such as increased awareness, better attitude and creating superior learning conditions. This change points to significantly enhancing different aspects that have presented issues in the past.

NO:

NEW REGULATIONS required by House Bill 733, a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, will make high schools change their start times to after 8:30 a.m. starting June 2026. This implies the introduction of new issues, such as an increase in traffic during morning and afternoon commutes. The bill will also deepen previous issues including scheduling conflicts, as students with responsibilities after school will have to accommodate their activities accordingly.

Students who are engaged in after-school activities will undoubtedly see the drawbacks of this change, as they will be leaving practice, games or club meetings around Miami’s peak traffic time. Between commuters getting home from work and middle school buses, Miami’s roads are already congested, and this change will only worsen traffic. This will cause students to get home even later than they would prior to the change.

The problem worsens for students who live farther away, as they now have less time to balance between school and their personal lives. This can ultimately be detrimental to their physical and mental health. According to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 55% of high school students account for time management as their major source of stress.

“I commute to my mom’s job after school, and that’s when I do homework. With this change, I will have less time to do other activities,” sophomore Emily Teran said.

Parents who previously had scheduled their mornings accordingly to be timely to work while still dropping their kids off at school must adjust to this modification. As many job schedules are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., they do not offer flexibility that allows employees time to perform their familial duties, and changing school hours will only worsen this issue for parents.

“The new start time represents a challenge as I would need to rearrange my current mornings to drop both my kids to where they need to be,” Academy of Finance Coordinator Alfredo Ball-Llovera said.

A possible solution is to create a before-school program. While the concept would be similar to after-school programs, this would happen before designated school hours. These programs could either provide their own transportation or allow parents to drop off their kids at a time that is convenient for them. With such programs, parents will have increased flexibility during their morning schedules.

Many students argue that pushing school start times comes off as useless. The school day will likely remain eight hours long, with the only difference being that dismissal times will be pushed back. Students’ activities and thus sleep schedules will remain the same, just shifted an hour later. This completely dismisses the bill’s original goal to reduce sleep deprivation among students.

“This would just mean that I must do my homework and other activities later in the day,” junior Marciana Gayle said.

This new adjustment seems to come with many drawbacks that leave staff, parents and students at a disadvantage. The negative effects on students’ academics and activities alongside family schedules outweigh the positives of a later start time. While the goal of improving students’ health is commendable, this bill will not accomplish its intentions.