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Observer readers weigh in on new research recommending later high school start times

81 per cent of the Observer’s commenters thought later bell times would benefit all.
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Correlieu principal Dennis Hawkins-Bogle said logistically, later start times probably wouldn’t work for Quesnel families. File photo

A Canadian Press story that appeared on the Observer website on Aug. 17 prompted a lively social media conversation among our paper’s followers.

The post, which discussed research that suggests delaying high school start times has health and academic benefits for students, was seen by almost 4,000 followers after it was shared on the Observer’s Facebook page.

Of the 21 commenters, the majority (81 per cent) advocated for later bell times for students. Just 14 per cent preferred earlier start times.

Sarah McIntyre Pearson said: “Yes, 9 a.m. would benefit my whole family! More time to wake up at home and not rush through breakfast or skip breakfast.”

Terri Browne commented: “I taught in a district where they started at 9 a.m. and the kids were more ready to learn first thing in the morning. I was amazed at what a difference half an hour can make.”

In Quesnel, the bell at Correlieu Secondary goes off at 8:30 a.m., while at Quesnel Junior School it’s slightly earlier, at 8:23 a.m.

The district’s elementary schools can be earlier. Most elementary school bells in School District #28 sound between 8:10 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Parkland Elementary’s bell is earliest, going off at 8 a.m.

The international research suggested that lack of sleep for teens had been linked to decreased academic performance, obesity and mental illness.

Correlieu principal Dennis Hawkins-Bogle said he is aware of the research.

“I do know, as far as child development for adolescents, that they need a lot of sleep, and they do need to sleep in; sleeping until 9 a.m., 10 a.m., is good for them.”

However, for Quesnel, Hawkins-Bogle said he’s not sure a later start time would work logistically.

“For us in Quesnel it’s a systems issue. If we wanted to entertain this, we could have everyone start 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. and go till 5 p.m. or whatever; or we could have the high schools start later and have two bus runs. But the reality for us as far as the system goes is that it wouldn’t work for most families.

“It might work for high school because they’re a little more independent, but I don’t think it would work for elementary. Most people get up and get ths kids off at the same time.”

He said he hasn’t particularly noticed tiredness in students on a day-to-day basis.

A separate study by researchers at McGill University in Montreal assessed the state of school start times in Canada. It found the average start time among the 362 schools sampled was 8:43 a.m.