The Stressed Out Students committee is inviting staff and students to discuss the four new drafts of potential bell schedules, many of which will include later start times and possibly an increased number of block periods.

“We found out that stress was mostly sleep-related and also depended on the amount of homework,” said sophomore class Site Council representative Olivia Diamond at last Monday’s Site Council. “So if we had Monday and Tuesday also blocked, you’d have more time to manage, thus more time to do it.”

All proposed schedules feature late starting times, although they differ in the number of block periods and ending times. The committee stressed the importance of having the same start times each day in the new schedule.

“A consistent start time is best for people, and I know that in first semester, starting at 8:45 on Thursdays messed with people’s sleeping schedules,” Diamond said.

Principal Jacqueline McEvoy also agreed that having four block days instead of two could improve students’ academic performances.

“Research showed that having four block days was best for high achieving students,” McEvoy said.

The first schedule features a schedule with two block days, but includes a later ending for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with seventh period unblocked.

The second schedule also features a schedule with two block days, but also includes a blocked seventh period on Wednesday, with school ending twenty minutes later for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Both the third and fourth schedules adopts the four block period idea that the SOS promotes, with marginally shorter ending times. However, the fourth day block schedule includes a seventh block period to provide student athletes with a rotating schedule.

The committee’s brief outline of their plan elicited positive responses from the Site Council, including McEvoy and fellow council member French teacher Carla Guerard. McEvoy suggested that the committee visit schools that have schedules similar to the ones that the members have been discussing.

However, the committee has struggled to find other comparable schools, as many of these schools have only six periods instead of seven.

According to Guerard, Paly used to start at 8:15 a.m.

“As a Paly alumni, I remember that school started at 8:15 a.m.,” Guerard said. “I just wanted to note that it has been done before.”

The SOS committee also concentrated on evening out the weekly class hours.

“It [the new schedule] does not compromise teaching hours,” Diamond said. “Each subject will still have three hours and 50 minutes per week.”

Susan Shultz, the head coordinator of the SOS committee, expressed her willingness to implement a newly improved schedule by next year.

“SOS has been looking at this for very long time,” Shultz said. “We really want to implement something for next year. Every year in the SOS surveys, we had students asking for school to start later.”

According to Shultz, this matter will be given to the Education Council, teachers, and students. The Committee may receive input from parents through an open meeting. Teachers will ultimately decide the viability of this schedule through a vote, in which two-thirds must affirm.