It's all a matter of time.
The McLean Citizens Association passed a resolution last week encouraging the county's School Board to study the possibility of pushing the start time for high schools within the county back at least 40 minutes.
"Our high school students start school at 7:20 a.m. They have a hard time getting to bed before 11 p.m. because of their natural sleep cycles, and they don't get the amount of sleep they should," said Ed Saperstein, chairman of the McLean Citizen Association's Education and Youth Committee.
The Fairfax County School Board has already expressed its intentions of hiring a consultant to study the possibility of rearranging the bus schedule throughout the county to allow high school students to start later in the morning without disrupting the elementary and middle school schedules more than would be necessary, Saperstein said.
"We're encouraging them to look into starting high school at 8 a.m. or later, but we're also trying to be realistic," he said.
According to a study conducted by the School Board in 1998, the natural sleep cycle of teenagers makes it difficult for them to fall asleep prior to 11 p.m., and if a student needs to be to a bus stop by 5:28 a.m., it is almost impossible for him or her to get the eight or nine hours of sleep required for a developing brain. Additionally, lack of sleep impairs brain function and a student's ability to learn, Saperstein said, and may have an impact on the number of car accidents caused by teenage drivers.
"Their task force found all these things seven years ago, but nothing's been done," he said. "We're encouraging them to actually do something about it this time."
Association member Frank Crandall called the proposed resolution "long overdue."
"This is right in line with the best science around today," Crandall said. "These kids need additional sleep time because their brains are still in the process of being developed."
SCHOOLS IN surrounding districts, like Arlington and Loudoun counties and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, have already pushed back start times to between 8 a.m. and 8:50 a.m., noted board member Amy Lowenstein.
"We are a big county, but it's possible" to make schedule changes and still allow time for middle and elementary school students, said Education and Youth committee member Mike Clancy. "The key issue is having the transportation consultant [Dean Tistadt] involved so we can make sure the start time is at least 8 a.m.," he said.
If high school starts within 20 minutes of 8 a.m., after-school activities will not be affected, said committee member Chris Cole. "We play against schools in Arlington and Alexandria, so it won't make a difference to them," he said. "If you talk about a 9 a.m. start time, then you start to impact the extra curriculars."
Clancy said that the resolution urges the school board to begin the survey as quickly as possible so if a study finds a later start time is feasible, the change could be in place as early as the 2006-2007 school year.
"The school board did this task force in 1998. They've done nothing in seven years," Clancy said. "We got a man to the moon faster than this."