Letter: School start times a big mistake

What exactly did the Beaufort County Board of Education base its decision on when it changed the school starting times? Was it that upper-grade students don’t get enough sleep, causing poor academic performance? Do they really believe that is going to make a difference?

A study on teens, done by a graduate student, that appeared in WebMD last November and December, found that too much “screen time” interacted with sleep, mood and academic performance. Teens who had the most “screen time” were the most sleep-deprived. Students will still be tuned in to their devices and still be sleep-deprived.

Where are the parents of these upper-grade students? Can they not lay down some rules so their children go to bed at a decent hour?

I also wonder if anyone considered students who participate in extracurricular activities getting home much later, resulting in less study time.

As a former early-childhood teacher for 21 years, I know how important it is for young children to get proper sleep for brain development. It is well known that a child’s brain does the most development in the very early years of life. They need the sleep more. It is totally ridiculous that parents of these young children have to get them up at 4:30 to 5 a.m. to get them ready for school. Let me add that the youngest ones need help to get dressed and to get breakfast. Things older students can do for themselves.

I hope parents and grandparents, as I am, who feel the school board made a monumental mistake will speak up.

This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Letter: School start times a big mistake."