Hello! We are the students who want change! Norfolk Public Schools' school board has recently voted to change start times starting next fall. They aim to start high schools around 8:30-9:00 and elementary schools to start closer to 7:30. We as students have not heard one of us that agrees and WE are the ones that will be affected by it. Not fair right? Well... WE can be the ones to change it! In Virginia Beach, they discussed start time change and students banded together to get thousands of signatures that influenced the reversal of their decision. According to The Virginia Pilot, a VB school board member has been quoted saying that she felt their board was not acting in the best interest of students and we do not think our board is acting in the best interest of us either. Clearly we students can be the change, so let's do it!

Let's talk about some reasons many of us students are upset about this... Athletes (such as ourselves who are writing this) are going to possibly have earlier practice times (as in practice before the school day starts) and possibly later game times. One of the school board's motives were for high schoolers to get more sleep. This will have us still staying up late to get homework done and still waking up early for morning practices. Not fair right? The second reason is that many high schoolers work after school. Getting out later will have people getting less hours in at work which leads to getting paid less. Third, many high schoolers babysit younger siblings. Switching times will have the younger kids getting home earlier and not having anyone watching them. Once again not fair right? And lastly, the elementary schoolers will be going to school so early that many will be waiting for buses in the dark. Imagine a kindergartner waiting for transportation in the dark. I cannot stress this enough... NOT FAIR RIGHT? 

Please keep sharing and signing! Hopefully as a community we can get the change that we want!