Delayed start time has mediocre results

In 2019, California Senate Bill 328 passed, mandating high schools to start classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. each morning. This is in an effort to ensure that students sleep longer, making them more well-rested for the day. As a result of this law, the CVHS bell schedule changed from an 8:10 a.m. to an 8:30 a.m. start time. To accommodate extracurricular activities and not release students too late, the entire bell schedule was rearranged.

We at The Olympian stand opposed to this law, as it has caused unfavorable schedule alterations. 

Although classes do begin slightly later, block days seem to feel longer than ever. Block periods last 100 minutes, and Trojan Time lasts 42. It is not easy to focus for that lengthy time. Based on the past few weeks, we discovered that there is often extra time at the end of block classes, as teachers have difficulty making lessons that last so long. The Trojan Time lessons do not take up the entire period, either. We at The Olympian find that there is a lot of wasted time in class.

Not to mention, the bell schedule is incredibly confusing. On block days, zero period starts at different times; this leads to students arriving either too early or too late. With 6-minute passing periods, there is little time to use the restroom in between classes. For those who are acclimated to the former bell schedule, the new arrangement is disorienting.

The California law has good intentions, but poor execution. Pushing back the school start time merely causes students to sleep later. If the goal is to have teenagers receive more sleep, other factors dealing with students’ everyday lives should be addressed instead. Instead, we propose to limit the amount of homework assigned—more often than not, additional assignments are the reason why teens sleep late in the first place.

As the delayed bell schedule has few redeeming qualities, Senate Bill 328 should be revoked.