SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – Wake up, you sleepy-headed teenagers. South Burlington High School is considering a later start time.

A growing number of scientific studies show that teenagers are not made to get up at 6 a.m. to catch a school bus, and early rising makes them lethargic and irritable. Now South Burlington High School Principal Patrick Burke is pushing a plan to take a cue from that research.

Burke said he believes that shifting the school’s morning start from 7:40 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. – with dismissal time moved from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. – could make for more alert students.

Sophomore Dan Pascoe, who now gets up at about 6 a.m. to catch a bus at 7, said he thinks a later start time is a good idea. He admitted that he occasionally dozes off in class.

“The upside is, you get more sleep,” he said.

Some students, particularly athletes, oppose the change, saying they already have to leave school early sometimes for sporting events, and worry about missing more class time.

“You don’t get the class notes and stuff so you feel like you’re behind,” said Ethan Tarricone, a junior who plays soccer.

Tarricone said he is sympathetic, though, to those who complain of a shortage of sleep. He said that like many of his classmates, he has trouble getting to sleep before 10:30 p.m.

“Usually I’m not staying up because I’m watching TV,” he said. “I’m doing homework.”

Being short on sleep creates problems, including reduced ability to think clearly and do complex tasks, irritability and depression, according to Brown University Medical School professor Mary Carskadon, who has researched the topic.

Schools in Minnesota switched to later start times in the 1990s and have reported good results, including reduced dropout rates and adults reporting that their teenagers were easier to live with.

In South Burlington, the final decision on school start times rests with Superintendent Gail Durckel.

AP-ES-10-31-05 0950EST