It’s a fact that teens are spending late nights doing homework during the school week. For many purposes, school should be ending earlier in the day.

On Nov. 21, the Des Moines school board met to talk about the start times changing next year. The school district proposed an earlier start time for the elementary schools, while middle and high school students will be going to school later.

If this plan is agreed on, in Des Moines, the elementary schools will be in session 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., middle school 7:30 a.m. to 3:25 p.m., and high school running from 8:25 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.

In Cedar Rapids I would rather go to school early in the morning to be dismissed earlier in the day, and not start later, so that I would have time for my activities, work and homework.

For me, I juggle swimming along with my school work. Some nights we would get out of practice late and I would have to wait until later into the night to finish up my homework.

If school were to end earlier, that would mean swim practices would also get out earlier, and I could then do my homework at a reasonable time and go to bed earlier.

A change could help those students that are involved in sports, clubs or the performing arts.

“I know for me juggling club soccer and play practice is a challenge for me, I usually don’t get home until 9 p.m. and I will still have homework to do,” Macy Bryner, so., said.

Teenagers are also working jobs and that takes up a good chunk of their time.

At my job, I work a good portion of the night. It would be nice to start early and to end my shift early. I would return home sooner to get caught up on my homework and other tasks, and still manage to go to bed at a reasonable time.

“When it comes to work on a school day I work 4:30 to 9:15 p.m. so I don’t get time to go home and do my homework. Normally I stay up till 11:30 doing my homework,” Mackenzie Joseph, so., said.

Our school day in Cedar Rapids should be changed to let our activities start earlier, so we get to be home sooner and get our school work done.