To the Editor,

The Cabot High School, Freshman Academy, and Junior High North campuses are all within a mile of each other which causes traffic congestion before and after school. There has not been a study completed about traffic congestion around Cabot Public Schools; however, according to the Student Resource Officer (SRO) at the high school, Nick Thompson, they receive on average 44 to 55 complaints about traffic around the school every year. Because of traffic congestion, vehicle accidents and violations are more likely to occur around the school, compromising the safety of the community. It is important to fix this problem so that there are effective and safe routes for parents and students to and from the school. Staggering school start and dismissal times would be the most effective solution for traffic congestion because traffic flow improves, and students and faculty benefit from getting more sleep. At Bentonville High School, class officially started at 8:45 a.m., an hour later than the school’s original start time. The community in Bentonville noticed a decrease in traffic congestion around the campus after the change in start time was implemented at the high school. An added benefit of the high school having a later start time was that students and teachers got more sleep and therefore felt more energized throughout the day. In order to decrease traffic congestion and traffic related accidents, Cabot Public Schools should change the start time of the high school.

Sincerely,

Sydney Hazeslip  

Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences & Arts