HS 8:30 a.m. start by Fall 2022: Thoughts

By Ed Piper

For anyone who still doesn't know, all high schools in California have to start no sooner than 8:30 a.m. by the fall semester 2022.

A state law mandating this was passed a couple of years ago. It is based on "science", meaning studies that document adolescents' need for sleep until a certain hour for their good health.

The state law allows schools--both public and private--to comply by this coming fall. Some high schools have already began edging their starting times back over the last year and a half.

Others, for instance, Rancho Bernardo High, which presently begins first period at 7:30 a.m., will have quite a jump to make from the end of spring semester in June to a late starting time at 8:30 two months later, in August 2022.

Part of the discussion, from reports, was that during COVID and with all its disruptions, students should come back on campus (this was the case last fall) with some continuity and what they had experienced before--their old starting time.

Some schools, apparently, decided not to make any changes to their starting time, and allow students to "get their feet wet" again in coming back onto campus after distance learning circa post-March 13, 2020 and through the rest of the 2020-2021 school years. A year we remember as a real downer, with all its challenges of staying at home, limited in-person interaction among students (and us adults), and so forth. That was a tough period.

So, in a short exchange with an employee at Westview High today, I heard his reaction that "schools are going to have to invest in a lot of lighting" to deal with the resultant later ending time after last period--3:30 p.m.? 4:00 p.m.?

Students, when asked their views on the later starting time a year ago, assumed that meant the school day would be compacted to still get out at the present ending time. Wrong.

The state mandate doesn't shorten the school day. It just pushes it back. Same number of minutes.

Aargh. That means during the winter months, after our time change in early November, that sports teams are going to have to juggle their practice and game times in view of school getting out later. Let's say La Jolla High has a new ending time last period next fall of 3:00, 3:15, or so. Basketball, soccer, wrestling, etc. will not start practice till after school. Games will not start until students can get out to the field or onto the court following dressing and arrival--for away games, you would think 2:30 p.m. starting times will be things of the past.