I'm a senior at South Brunswick High School and I'm burnt out. I know a lot of us feel the same. Teachers continue to give us massive workloads in the midst of a pandemic, with no sympathy. In the Spring, we had asynchronous work due at 11:59 every other day, with Fridays completely off. At the present, we have class for from 9-3 with tons of work. Soon, we will have class from 7:30 - 1: 55. Such a radical change in schedule, combined with so much work has made learning not conducive for the virtual setting.

The hybrid schedule is going to have all of us waking up at 7:30, most of us from home. Multiple studies have noted that teenagers perform much better with later start times. Since this is true, why not flip the elementary and high school start times? It's already harder for us to focus outside of the school setting with multiple distractions, so a later start time, like we've been doing for the entire first half of the year, would be optimal. Virtual learning has proved the schedule can be flexible, and I think it's a change worthy of making. Moving on, not only is the start time too early, but the extra two (2) twenty five minute blocks after lunch are pointless. Legally, a 4 hour day constitutes as a school day. Realistically, I don't know how much content will be taught in an extra 25 minute session once a week for each class. It seems like a symbolic effort to keep us in school longer with no actual purpose. Not only is it useless, but it's very confusing. I also think an asynchronous day once or more a week would be very useful, as many students feel behind and quite overwhelmed with work.

I understand there could be barriers to making such changes like bus contracts or bureaucracy, but I think those obstacles are worthy of pushing through. 

I believe students, education experts, and child psychologists should be consulted when revising the schedule. During unprecedented times, I think us students should be more considered and listened to as mental health is a continuous struggle, many of us feel unable to complete all of our work, and this has never happened before. Changing the schedule through perhaps revising the start time and getting rid of the extra 25 minute sessions would be greatly appreciated and a step in the right direction. I, and I'm sure others, would be open to an additional board meeting or forum (any kind of open discussion) to specifically discuss the needs of high schoolers, with a special emphasis on schedule. Sincerely, an exhausted student.