This past year a national sleep act was implemented within FCPS and within nearby school districts. This act encourages schools to provide aide to students so that their nightly sleep requirements are met. In response, South Lakes administration introduced a senior late start policy.

“It is a policy that is coming from the school board,” director of student services Davina Johnson said. “They are very concerned with adolescence and the opportunity to have enough sleep, so they can be the best student they can be.”

For seniors to arrive to school at a later time, their schedule must already be arranged in way so that their first and second periods are not classes required to graduate. Students who wish to take advantage of this new policy must talk to their counselor, fill out the necessary forms, and get their new schedule confirmed with Johnson as well as with Principal Kim Retzer.

Implementing a late start for seniors is a conclusion the administration reached after extensive research and discussion.

“We did research on late starts or early dismissal options,” Johnson said. “It is very similar to what other elementary schools have been doing this whole time, like on Mondays they release early. We did research and we found that for our student population and meetings their needs, it would not be the best time to make those changes in the bell schedule.”

Such a dramatic change in schedules holds the possibility in creating issues with class size and staffing.

“Some of the negative outcomes possibly could be that it would hit our elective courses,” Johnson said. “If we have a huge amount of students that are dropping their elective courses, then that means that our numbers are going to go down which means we could lose our sections and this could effect staffing.”

The late start policy can even pose problems for seniors who are looking at the long term effect.

“I think it is a good idea but also a bad idea because it will look bad on college applications when you are only taking five or six classes your senior year,” senior Scott Waters said. “It’s important to keep your rigor up senior year.”

The late start policy, despite its comebacks, is succeeding in accomplishing its original goal.

“I like coming in late to school because it gives me a chance to catch up on sleep,” senior JP Anzola said. “My schedule is also less stressful because it’s one less class.”