Seeking A's In a Few More Zzzz's

The Fairfax County School Board is studying the possibility of pushing back start times, but some members said they are concerned the price may be too high for a district with one of the largest bus fleets in the nation. A consultant hired by the board to study ways to alter or add bus routes to accommodate a new schedule recently estimated it would cost an additional $44 million annually -- an increase of about 50 percent over the current cost of busing students -- to open high schools between 8 and 9 a.m. The consultant is working to find other options.

School Board member Kaye Kory (Mason) said she is sympathetic to parents and students who have raised the issue. When her three children attended Fairfax schools, they rode in neighborhood carpools so everyone could catch a few extra winks.

"My concern is that a sleepy student just can't possibly learn to the best of their ability," Kory said. "I do believe it's a worthwhile goal, but like everything else it comes down to how the majority of people want to allocate resources. I don't think we'll ever see the day the schools have extra money."

School officials also note that a schedule change would disrupt the daily routines of many families. Day-care arrangements might have to be altered, and some students with after-school jobs might have to shift schedules. Others worry about finding the time to fit in sports, band and other after-school activities.

School Board member Stuart D. Gibson (Hunter Mill) said he thinks that later start times would benefit students, but that a change would require broad community support.

"There has to be huge public engagement," Gibson said. "If we do this, it's going to cause almost every family in Fairfax to radically alter how they live their lives."

Evans, a former Washington Post reporter, and SLEEP co-founder Phyllis Payne, a health educator, are convinced the community would welcome a change. Since launching the group two years ago, they have heard from hundreds of parents who worry that fatigue makes their children irritable and exacerbates illnesses. About 6,000 people have signed the SLEEP petition.

During the 2004-05 school year, with the help of the administration at J.E.B. Stuart High School in the Falls Church area, the group asked parents, teachers and students their opinions.

Of 679 students who answered the survey, more than 87 percent said they had fallen asleep during class, and 64 percent said they were tired most days. A majority of students said school should start at 8:30 a.m. or later.

Almost 60 percent of the 101 teachers questioned said students are not alert during first period, and a majority reported that students sometimes nod off during class.

Wesley Thompson, 15, a 10th-grader at W.T. Woodson High School who sets her alarm for 5 a.m., said she's seen classmates fall asleep. She said she's occasionally come close to nodding off, but she stays awake with the help of a thermos of instant coffee.

"I sleep the entire bus ride, and when I get to school I'm pretty tired, and I drink my coffee," Thompson said. "I'm tired, but it's not inhibiting me from getting my work done."