To the editor:

Elementary students will endure early school start times and longer days to accommodate teens sleeping later.

We need your support in urging our school committee to postpone the decision for later school start times. What they failed to examine when making this decision was the potential implications this would have on our youngest student population at the elementary level.

These K-3 students will be required to start school before everyone else with a 15 minute earlier start time. Many of these same students of working parents will now be required to attend after school care and be bused to facilities rather than home. This can make for a very long day out of the home and greater difficulty adjusting. Since when did the sleep and wellbeing of this age group become less important than our older students.

According to the National Sleep Foundation it is these elementary age children that require 1-2 hrs more sleep than teens. Younger children may also have greater difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep secondary to nightmares, separation anxiety and fear of the dark. Children at this age who do not get adequate sleep are at greater risk of struggling both academically and behaviorally and may mimic symptoms similar to ADHD.   Aren’t we setting them up for failure at an early age.

Unlike our elementary students, our teens understand the implications of later school start times on their lives and have voiced such concerns.

While I agree adequate sleep is important, changing the start time is not the solution to improved sleep. We as parents and educators need to assist students with understanding strategies they can utilize to improve their own sleep (sleep hygiene techniques), manage stress and improve academic performance.

If we notice that sleep disturbance is persistent than that is an indication there are more significant emotional, physical, psychological, social issues that cannot be corrected by a time change but instead needs greater intervention.

Gina Pine, LICSW

Barrington