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Editor’s note: This editorial has been updated and clarified.
At 5:37 a.m. Tuesday morning, as most Ohio County residents remained comfortable in their beds, or were just getting the day started with their first cup of coffee, at least some public school students stood outside in the dark, awaiting the bus to take them to their first day of classes at Wheeling Park High School.
Think about that: To be picked up by the bus at 5:37 a.m., those students likely awoke before 5 a.m. to get ready. They went and did a full day of classes, and then rode the bus home, to be dropped off at about 4:15 p.m.
That's an 11-hour day for a teenager, not factoring in any after-school extra-curricular activities.
It's not the length of the day that's the concern, though; it's the start time. How foolish is it that, despite the science on sleep patterns for teenagers that has shown for decades that teens perform better both academically and socially later in the morning, Ohio County Schools can’t figure out a way to address start times at Wheeling Park High School?
Why? That's the question that needs answered.
The arguments against have been that it's just too expensive … yet the district just invested in new scoreboards and other athletic facilities. Those opposing the change also say that, if school starts later, kids will stay up later, too. That's a parental issue. The focus by the board and the administration must be on giving students the best chance for success.
This is too important of an issue to let go unaddressed.