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School officials open start time discussion By Christopher Roberson
T
he School Committee recently delved into what is sure to be a long and tedious process of adjusting school start times. During the Jan. 24 meeting, Dr. Judith Owens, director of sleep medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, gave a presentation explaining why the district should move in this direction. She said that during adolescence, a teenager’s wake-up and sleep times are altered by several hours.“It’s almost impossible for the average adolescent to fall asleep before 11 p.m.,” she said, adding that the use of electronic devices suppresses melatonin, which is the body’s sleep hormone. On the other end of the spectrum, Owens said, teenagers are not“biologically programmed”to wake up before 8 a.m. However, the current start time at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School is 7:10 a.m. and the current start time at Higgins Middle School is 8:10 a.m. Owens said that asking students to comply with that schedule is like asking an adult to be awake and alert at 3 a.m. She also said a perpetual lack of sleep causes a permanent “social jet lag.”“It’s like adolescents are flying from Logan Airport to LAX every weekend,” said Owens, adding that teenagers ideally need eight to 10 hours of sleep. Without an ample amount of rest, these students are at risk for problems relating to attention, memory, emotional control and advanced cognitive functions. Owens said teenagers are also much more prone to being in car accidents. “They’re more likely to text and drink while driving,” she said. Academic performance will suffer as well, particularly during the first-period class. She said that in 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a nationwide school start time of 8:30 a.m. However, in 2015, 7:37 a.m. was still the average start time in Massachusetts. Therefore, Owens and her colleagues are currently working with the State Legislature to pass a law that would require schools throughout the Commonwealth to start 30 minutes later. “This 8:30 seems to be the sweet spot,” she said.
Everyone, particularly the superintendent of schools, would need to be on board. “If the superintendent isn’t behind this, it’s dead in the water,” said Owens. In response, Member Jarrod Hochman thanked Owens for her presentation. “This was an important day, you’ve cracked the ice,” he said. He reminded his fellow members that changing the start times will be no easy task. “There are a lot of hurdles and those hurdles are real,” he said. Member Andrew Arnotis said there is plenty of evidence showing that this would be a smart move. “Statistic after statistic, the numbers are there,” he said. Member Beverley Ann Griffin Dunne said she would like to hear from the committee’s Student Advisory Board about the possibility of changing start times. “Bringing this in is going to be a huge, huge project going forward – it’s going to take a long time,” she said.
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Friday, January 26, 2018
City councillors: Birch Hill needs to be watched By Christopher Roberson
A
lthough the Planning Board voted unanimously on Jan. 18 to approve the Definitive Site Plan for the Birch Hill Subdivision, a group of city councillors urged the board to ensure that the Order of Conditions is followed. Ward 6 Councillor Mark O’Neill expressed ongoing concerns from his constituents regarding the project’s close proximity to Burke Elementary School. He said those concerns include construction noise, additional traffic volume from delivery trucks, water runoff and the future possibility of blasting. While blasting does not seem necessary right now, O’Neill said it would be imperative to meet with school administrators should that change. Speaking more to O’Neill’s comment about water runoff, Councillor-at-Large Anne Man-
Mark O’Neill City Councillor ning-Martin said Villa Lane and Birch Street have been prone to flooding in the past. She also said it would be beneficial for abutters to select a neighborhood liaison. “It’s going to go on for several years,” she said of the project. Attorney Athan Vontzalides,
counsel for developer Carl Crupi, said he agreed with O’Neill and Manning-Martin. “All these issues that Mark and Anne brought up are legitimate issues,” he said, adding that it will most likely take three years to complete the 23-home subdivision. One board member said there needs to be a uniform construction process. “I think it’s crazy to build four houses then go 10 lots up and build another one,” he said. In response, Crupi said that in his prior experience, prospective residents have asked that their home be built on a specific lot. The board member also disagreed with the number of construction vehicles going in and out of the site. “To say there’s only going to be one truck coming in a day is ridiculous, it’s inaccurate,” he said.
CITY COUNCILLORS | SEE PAGE 13
Lady Tanners kennel Bulldogs
Peabody’s Serena Laro looks to follow up after a rebound as teammate Catherine Manning provides support in the paint during the Tanners’ 31-23 win over the Lynn English Bulldogs last Friday. See story and photos inside on page 9. (Advocate photo by Greg Phipps)