LETTER: Rearranging the deck chairs

The Clark County School District is changing high school start times from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. This is supposed to give students more time to be rested so they can learn and won’t be tired during classes.

At the same time, however, district officials say that the change will allow sports teams to practice early in the morning to avoid the heat. But now the students who play sports will be tired from the practice. There goes the extra time they had to sleep. So I guess that means that educating the students who play sports is not as important as teaching those who do not play sports.

So which is it? Do the students need more time to sleep or not? The district should instead focus more on students who are not ready to graduate or have any fruitful future for themselves.

This time change is also supposed to cost taxpayers more than $5 million, and the district has to hire 51 more bus drivers. Why? Why not just shift the schedules of the drivers. Are district officials going to change the time for teachers to start their shift or pay them overtime because they have to stay later? I guess it doesn’t matter because, after all, it is just taxpayer money.

We were all teenagers once, and any sane person knows that if you have to be at school later, you will stay up later. This is another feel good move by the district that will accomplish nothing. It’s time for parents to take care of their children and make them go to bed when they need to go to bed. Do not leave it up to someone else.

It time for district officials to be more concerned about education, which will do more for the futures of these students than making them feel better by having them start school later.