By Karol Perez, Staff Writer | September 28, 2022
Have you ever wondered why the school day is so long? Why is there such a late dismissal? Or, why are our classes almost 2 hours long?
There are many who don’t see the benefit in starting later at all.
Carson High School junior Ena Garcia said, “It is painfully boring; almost 2 hours is very painful. I’m [good] with late start [and] dismissal, but I think it’s just the whole 140 minutes is kind of a bit long.”
“I’m not sure if I actually agree with it because it just gives students more
time to sleep. I think that the theory behind this is that students will get to school on time because they get to sleep later, and I don’t necessarily believe that; it’s just more time to be late,” said M.E.Di.A Magnet Coordinator Mrs. Harris.
The reason that the start and dismissal time changed is because, in 2019, the California legislature passed a law requiring high schools to begin classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Because of this, California became the first state to alter school start times.
The train of thought is that, with this change, students will be well-rested which will, in turn, improve their grades. It is true that studies have showed that an average of a 34-minute increase in sleeping occurred because of the schedule change.
Yet, a bigger consideration is that the change will interfere with parents' work schedules. In fact, some students have to show up extra early to school because they have no other choice due to job obligations of the parent or guardian.
Ultimately, students seem to be enjoying the extra sleep time in the mornings and extra time to get ready. Yet, students just don't seem happy with block schedules or sitting in the same class for about 2 hrs.