Recently, the Ramapo-Indian Hills High School Board has been arguing the highly debated topic of school timing. Many students, parents, and educators have recently been arguing that school should start later around 8:00-8:30 a.m, rather than the regular time, 7:30 a.m. It is a known fact that students would be happier, more focused, and less likely to get into a car accident if school started later. Although those are pretty good arguments I strongly disagree. For me at least, the earlier the day starts, the more focused and persistent I am. Starting later would also interfere with many activities before and after school. If students guardians begin work early, it would be difficult for them to secure a ride to school on a daily basis. Pushing school back could also interfere with after-school clubs and sports. If the school were to have a delayed opening or an early dismissal, it would cause the school day to be much shorter than it already is, causing students to receive a minimal education. All of these reasons lead to my opinion that school should remain at its typical starting time, as starting school early will keep the students focused, keep a solid transportation system, and it would not interfere with school delays and after-school activities.Yes, students would be happier if school started later, but their education and focus could drop due to the fact that they would rather be doing other things than being in school late in the morning. Starting later could affect students health. Many students already find themselves going to bed very early in the morning If a school gets out later, students are given a less amount of time to get homework done, meaning that they would be doing homework much later at the night. Although this is the main topic of discussion for my school district, I believe that the Board of Education should be focusing on more important things that allow the school to be as enjoyable as possible for students and teachers. School timing shouldn’t necessarily be a main topic of discussion, being that there are so many more things that need to be fixed.
One topic that I think the school should be considering and discussing is the purchasing of an air-conditioning (AC) system. During the spring and summer months when it is very warm out, Ramapo seems to collect the heat instead of release it. The school becomes very humid and at times it makes it very hard to breathe. During the summer months of this school year, there have even been a few instances of students passes out due to the heat. Being that the school is very humid and enjoyable during the spring and summer days, it also makes it very hard for students to concentrate and focus on their school work. An air-conditioning system would be a game-changer for Ramapo when it comes to the student’s safety and overall enjoyment and health of the school. It will definitely show a positive outcome if installed. Moreover, other than thinking of times school should start, I personally believe that the Ramapo-Indian Hills district should be considering installing an air-conditioning system for the safety and health of the students.