Recently, the Lexington High School Student-Faculty Senate passed a bill approving the introduction of “Resting I-Blocks,” dedicated spaces where students can take a nap during school to rest and recharge.
With the bill’s passing, Resting I-Blocks are expected to be implemented in the near future as the Senate works with administrators and faculty to finalize logistics.
“Our student body is very invested in academic and extracurricular activities, which can cause missed sleep and lead to detrimental effects on physical and mental health,” Leonardo Magisano-Lamraoui, a Senate Policy Committee member who came up with the idea for the bill, said. “Power naps in the middle of the day can help mitigate these side effects.”
Magisano-Lamraoui noted that research and real-world practices influenced the bill’s development, including workplace policies that incorporate short rest periods to improve productivity.
“A number of Japanese companies use the inemori technique, where workers get a 20 to 40-minute power nap that has shown major increases in alertness and productivity,” Magisano-Lamraoui said. “We can use this example to envision the impact of Resting I-Blocks at our school, where we don’t associate sleeping with laziness but as a way to gain energy.”
After Magisano-Lamraoui introduced the Resting I-Block idea to the rest of the Senate Policy Committee, members collaborated to draft the proposal before presenting it to school administrators and the full Senate, where it received approval.
“The Senate executive branch asked Mr. Baker, and he seemed totally on board with it. We proceeded to propose it to the full Senate, where the majority agreed. That’s how the bill was officially passed,” Paul Zheng, a senior and head of the Senate Policy Committee, explained.
While the initiative has been authorized, organizers are still determining logistics, such as how the Resting I-Block spaces will be set up.
“Do we want to use yoga mats where people can lie down, pillows? We talked about people bringing their own blankets to keep things hygienic,” Magisano-Lamraoui said.
The Resting I-Blocks bill reflects a broader effort by the Senate to improve student well-being at LHS and encourage student engagement in leadership.
“The Senate tries to promote change in the school for the better, and the Resting I-Block aligns with that mission by giving students time to rest and return to class more alert and productive,” Zheng said.
Ultimately, the Resting I-Blocks bill hopes to support student wellbeing by fostering a healthier balance between academics and rest at LHS. As planning continues, organizers will gather student feedback and adjust the program as needed to ensure it effectively supports the school community.
