Until this year, on every first Wednesday of the month, school would start at 9:55 a.m. It gave students time to fully prepare for the day and a chance to finish any work forgotten the night before. However, beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, the school district decided to do away with the usual formula into something different: early-dismissal Wednesdays. Instead of starting late, every other Wednesday ends earlier, at 2:20 p.m.
This change is perceivably worse for two main reasons. The biggest problem is for students participating in sports. Having the school day end early is incredibly inconvenient for kids participating in school sports, which mainly take place directly after school ends. With early-dismissal Wednesdays being introduced, students will either need to go home and come back to school or stay at school for over an hour and a half. Nico Reneaum, a freshman, expressed his frustration with this change and said, “You can’t go and have breakfast anywhere.”
Furthermore, since early-dismissal Wednesdays don’t give students time to sleep in like late-start did, there is no longer an opportunity for students to feel all the way rested, as most high school students get less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep. Junior Declan Walsh said, “I like to sleep in, and you can’t do that with early release.”
Late-start Wednesdays don’t interfere with sports, are a chance to sleep in, and give more time in the morning to complete extra work. While some are excited to be dismissed early twice a month, many miss the opportunity to participate in sports or feel completely rested. While early dismissal on Wednesdays could have some benefits, overall, late-start Wednesdays deserve to be reinstated.
