The rumors are true: the school board has been considering a later start time for Glenbrook North to match Glenbrook South’s.

I don’t think I’m alone when I say I could use a little more time to sleep. With GBN’s start time of 7:40 a.m., most students trudge into the building looking like sleep-deprived zombies everyday.

Other schools nearby have already taken steps that help alleviate the drowsiness high school students face. In fact, out of the 12 Central Suburban League high schools in our area, GBN has the earliest start time.

GBN starts 15 minutes earlier than any other school in the CSL, a league which consists of schools similar to GBN in their rigorous academics and athletics. The New Trier Northfield campus start time of 7:55 a.m. is second earliest. The next earliest start time is shared by Highland Park and GBS, beginning at 8:00 a.m., 20 minutes after GBN. The latest start in the CSL, with a dream-like start time of 8:45 a.m., goes to Vernon Hills.

According to a memo to the school board from Superintendent Mike Riggle, there is “an extensive body of research” to support that even a 20- minute later start time would increase student sleep time without being detrimental to academics or athletics.

I’ve heard the argument that we need to start the day early to ensure students have enough time to work after school and for sports to practice while there’s daylight. But are those 20 minutes really essential? Despite being released between 3:05 and 3:25 p.m, many of the other schools in the CSL are excelling in athletics and academics.

Maybe it’s because they get to sleep.

In addition to their later start times, many of the schools in our area have also adopted more frequent late arrival days. Maine East, Maine South and Maine West have late arrivals weekly, giving students 45 extra minutes of sleep every Thursday. Highland Park and Deerfield also have weekly late arrivals, moving their start times over an hour later one day each week.

So, why hasn’t GBN adopted a later start time yet?

In the same memo to the board, it is clear that the main argument the district has against changing the start time is the cost of hiring more buses to make rounds at the same time as other schools in the area. However, other CSL schools seem to make it work with their elementary and middle school schedules, so why can’t we?

An email sent to GBN students on Jan. 17 allowed them to respond to a survey which asked whether or not students would like to have a later start time and if they had any other comments. This email also clarified that changes can be made to the current bus operation to accommodate a later start and demonstrated that the board is seriously considering this option.

Although this topic is currently up for discussion, there isn’t a guarantee that anything will come of it. We, as students, need to do our part to push for the sleep we deserve. We can all fill out that survey, but the best way to make a change at GBN is to attend board meetings and voice our thoughts. The next board meeting is on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at 3801 W. Lake Ave., Glenview in Public Meeting Room 100A. Let’s show the administration we care about this proposed change by attending and sharing our perspectives.

Teachers often scold students for nodding off in class and not getting enough sleep. Maybe it would be a less common sight if we had a little more time to snooze.

(I would come up with a more powerful ending but honestly, I need to get some sleep).