Every afternoon at 3:45, the doors of the Eastwood Middle School library are locked, and every afternoon a few dozen students end up sitting on the floor of the front hallway, waiting for rides. Some of them are trying to finish homework on their phones. Some are not doing anything at all.

I am one of those students. My mother works until 5:30, and the city bus does not stop near my neighborhood. I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for a quiet place to work during the hour and a half that I am already at school.

The library has the tables, the computers, and the books. What it does not have is staff after 3:45. Our librarian, Ms. Wilson, already works a full day, and it would not be fair to ask her to stay later for free. But other schools in our district have solved this problem. At one, teachers take turns watching the library one afternoon a month and earn a small extra payment. At another, parent volunteers sign up for afternoon shifts.

Opening the library after school would not only help students who are waiting for rides. Students without a computer at home could type their essays. Students who need a quiet place to study could find one. Even students who just want to read would have somewhere better to go than a hallway floor.

I hope the principal and the PTA will agree to a one-semester trial. If nobody uses the library, the school can lock the doors at 3:45 again. I think they will be surprised.

Valeria Ramirez, Grade 8