With the time change around the corner, falling back into our pillow in the morning is becoming a more and more appealing option. Our school district is considering changing to later start times for high schools which would make this possible.

In recent county wide discussions, neighboring have decided that student health in connection to how much sleep they get nightly is the most important factor for high school bell schedules. Loudon County Schools start at 9 am and end at 3:50 pm. 72 of the 95 Virginia counties start at or before eight in the morning, according to the Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal (SLEEP). WS is expected to change to an earlier start time in the span of year’s freshmen high school career.

Students involved in Student Advisory Council (SAC) have been involved in FCPS recent discussions on the topic.

“Karen Garza, the new superintendent, wishes to have it done as soon as possible, so hopefully within a year or so,” said SAC officer Chase Franklin.

Links on the FCPS website lead those who are interested and concerned about later high school start times to the Smart School Start Website which has information galore about the health benefits that a better night’s sleep would have on the student body in general. Teenager’s bodies are biologically better equipped to handle a day that starts and ends later.

WS students who attended other high schools before they moved to Springfield know this first hand.

“I felt like we had more time to recover” said senior Sarah Blakely, who attended a boarding school before moving to Springfield her junior year.

The problem with the prospect of an earlier start time is that it is hard to find a time that suits everyone’s schedule. Parents of elementary school aged or even younger children, which may include high school teachers, are resistant to this change because working parents cannot alter their schedule to make sure their young children get to school safely.

High school athletes are also voicing concerns of how that might affect practice times since school would let out later.

“We would be getting out of school later,” said Franklin, “which would push sports practices back.”

School administrations, however, must make hard decisions based on the betterment of the entire student body. Only one sports team is expected to have practice before the first bell rings, which would really only affect a small proportion of the student body that is made up of north of two thousand students.

“[It’s important that] we get more sleep so we are more awake and have more energy throughout the day” said Franklin.