On October 29, 2018, students of MSK and KHS were asked to answer a survey regarding the proposed changes to the school start time. Four months later, very little progress has been made in reaching a decision. Surely, it will take a lot of time and planning to come to a conclusion on such a controversial and important topic, especially given the strong feelings of those in the community. In fact, since the results of the survey are posted directly to the school’s website, it’s easy to look at some of the responses and see what might be delaying the decision.

To exemplify the controversiality of the issue, there was no shortage of heated responses against any of the proposals for a change in time. Specifically, when asked what prevented students from getting enough sleep, one anonymous student replied “no,” and another replied, quite poignantly, “N/A.” The brevity of these statements is almost an art form, perfectly representing the ideals of their speakers so concisely, yet so impactfully. Other powerful comments include “nah,” “nah b,” “Y’all stupid,” and “turf field.” With such strong opposition, it’s clear why no decision has been reached.

On the topic of the turf field, many people used the unrelated question as a forum to voice their desire for a turf field. Of course, these responses were equally as persuasive, as nobody would be foolish enough to believe that their proposal would be accepted in an environment completely unrelated. One supporter of the turf field stated, “turf field,” another noted that “I would love to have turf fields and the turf fields useless equipment and the need less maintenance.” With voices such as these, administration absolutely cannot ignore this proposal. However, the opposition within the student body was equally vocal, with responses such as “No turf field,” and everybody that responded with just the word “turf field” to the question “What are the main factors keeping you from getting enough sleep?”

The responses to this first question were almost universal, with more than 80 responses that only said “homework.” One specific comment that perfectly captures the feelings of most of the student body was the liar that said “homework    devices rarely.” Others cited more specific examples for their sleep deprivation, such as “league of legends and anime,” or “Vice principal putnam’s harshgaze, he looks like a angry cheeto.”

With the overwhelming support for keeping the school start time the way it is, it seems as though a decision could be reached very easily if the students were given the final say. However, there was a vocal minority of students that did want the start time changed. Such persuasive and powerful responses included “moving it later is epic,” “the later start time is a great ide,” “PLLLLEEEEEEAAAAASSSSSSSEEEEEE CHANGE IT,” and the response, “Option III-a seems like the best!” which was definitely not given by an administrator in disguise.

With such a variety of opinions on the topic, it’s understandable that a consensus has not yet been reached. At the very least, we can know that the student body definitely made a difference in the decision-making process.