Anyone else object to starting Fairfax County middle schools earlier just to start hs later?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My high school freshman wants to keep the early start mainly because he likes getting out earlier in the day.

Mine too.

Same here.

My MS kid loves the early start time and would be truly pissed if they move it to a later start time.

Your MS kid would be "pissed" by a decision made by adults at the behest of adults and other students? Maybe it's just odd word choice on your part, but the prospect of "pissing off" the little emperor does not bother me at all. In fact, I rather relish the prospect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the buses. Small school systems tend to have everyone going to school at more civilized, later times.

+1

I understand that FCPS has an incredibly large complicated bus fleet. But I don't understand why. Can't they divide the district, maybe by cluster, into totally independent groups? And divide the bus fleet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My high school freshman wants to keep the early start mainly because he likes getting out earlier in the day.

Mine too.

Same here.

My MS kid loves the early start time and would be truly pissed if they move it to a later start time.

Your MS kid would be "pissed" by a decision made by adults at the behest of adults and other students? Maybe it's just odd word choice on your part, but the prospect of "pissing off" the little emperor does not bother me at all. In fact, I rather relish the prospect.

The world is full of MEAN people. Glad it is not me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that sports are great. I had one who did sports and one who did not. People might be surprised to know that there are a lot of activities other than sports that are going to be negatively impacted by the new times.

The new times shouldn't have a negative effect on extracurriculars. TJ runs from 8:30 to 3:50, with sports and many other extracurriculars starting about four and going till about six. Lots of very involved kids there, with long commutes to boot, and they manage to get it all done.

+100
Honestly, I can't stand listening to the Chicken Littles who insist the sky is falling with every change FCPS implements. Some of these changes are for the BETTER for some people, but not all.

Your key words being for some people, but not all.
However I believe Garza is cow-tailing to a loud mouth minority. Not to mention spending frivolously with an already strapped budget. What the heck did they pay Children's Hospital for their biased study, and, all the other hands from Fairfax county that touched the SURVEY? All unnecessary. An honest to goodness democratic vote of those with school aged children would have solved the issue much cheaper and effectively. It seems to me Garza is not listening to the school aged kids parents and plowing ahead with whatever "bigger" plan she envisions. I am not convinced she is "changing" in the right direction/areas!

"Cow-tailing"?

[Anonymous]

One thing that became apparent a long time ago was that a very vocal minority would spam any and all internet forums with posts expressing their opposition to a change in HS start times.

I have no idea whether a majority of parents support or oppose the change. I do know that there is substantial research supporting later start times for older adolescents, and that the issue won't either be decided or fairly portrayed here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that sports are great. I had one who did sports and one who did not. People might be surprised to know that there are a lot of activities other than sports that are going to be negatively impacted by the new times.

The new times shouldn't have a negative effect on extracurriculars. TJ runs from 8:30 to 3:50, with sports and many other extracurriculars starting about four and going till about six. Lots of very involved kids there, with long commutes to boot, and they manage to get it all done.

+100
Honestly, I can't stand listening to the Chicken Littles who insist the sky is falling with every change FCPS implements. Some of these changes are for the BETTER for some people, but not all.

Your key words being for some people, but not all.
However I believe Garza is cow-tailing to a loud mouth minority. Not to mention spending frivolously with an already strapped budget. What the heck did they pay Children's Hospital for their biased study, and, all the other hands from Fairfax county that touched the SURVEY? All unnecessary. An honest to goodness democratic vote of those with school aged children would have solved the issue much cheaper and effectively. It seems to me Garza is not listening to the school aged kids parents and plowing ahead with whatever "bigger" plan she envisions. I am not convinced she is "changing" in the right direction/areas!

"Cow-tailing"?

yes. conceding under pressure from a loud mouthed minority!

Metaphor to KowTow - act in an excessively subservient manner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that sports are great. I had one who did sports and one who did not. People might be surprised to know that there are a lot of activities other than sports that are going to be negatively impacted by the new times.

The new times shouldn't have a negative effect on extracurriculars. TJ runs from 8:30 to 3:50, with sports and many other extracurriculars starting about four and going till about six. Lots of very involved kids there, with long commutes to boot, and they manage to get it all done.

+100
Honestly, I can't stand listening to the Chicken Littles who insist the sky is falling with every change FCPS implements. Some of these changes are for the BETTER for some people, but not all.

Your key words being for some people, but not all.
However I believe Garza is cow-tailing to a loud mouth minority. Not to mention spending frivolously with an already strapped budget. What the heck did they pay Children's Hospital for their biased study, and, all the other hands from Fairfax county that touched the SURVEY? All unnecessary. An honest to goodness democratic vote of those with school aged children would have solved the issue much cheaper and effectively. It seems to me Garza is not listening to the school aged kids parents and plowing ahead with whatever "bigger" plan she envisions. I am not convinced she is "changing" in the right direction/areas!

"Cow-tailing"?

yes. conceding under pressure from a loud mouthed minority!

Metaphor to KowTow - act in an excessively subservient manner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that sports are great. I had one who did sports and one who did not. People might be surprised to know that there are a lot of activities other than sports that are going to be negatively impacted by the new times.

The new times shouldn't have a negative effect on extracurriculars. TJ runs from 8:30 to 3:50, with sports and many other extracurriculars starting about four and going till about six. Lots of very involved kids there, with long commutes to boot, and they manage to get it all done.

+100
Honestly, I can't stand listening to the Chicken Littles who insist the sky is falling with every change FCPS implements. Some of these changes are for the BETTER for some people, but not all.

Your key words being for some people, but not all.
However I believe Garza is cow-tailing to a loud mouth minority. Not to mention spending frivolously with an already strapped budget. What the heck did they pay Children's Hospital for their biased study, and, all the other hands from Fairfax county that touched the SURVEY? All unnecessary. An honest to goodness democratic vote of those with school aged children would have solved the issue much cheaper and effectively. It seems to me Garza is not listening to the school aged kids parents and plowing ahead with whatever "bigger" plan she envisions. I am not convinced she is "changing" in the right direction/areas!

"Cow-tailing"?

yes. conceding under pressure from a loud mouthed minority!

Metaphor to KowTow - act in an excessively subservient manner

Cracking me up, guys.

[Anonymous]

Yikes, don't look up "cow tailing" on urban dictionary.

[Anonymous]

The survey results from parents were really unclear. They just asked what the benefits of each option were. I don't think they even looked at it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I applaud Karen Garza for doing what her predecessor could not. Great decision.

+ 1. Our four years at Langley were hell because of the 7:20 start time, which meant in our case, up at 5:30, breakfast, change, walk to bus at 6:20, etc. all in the dark.

Langley boundaries contribute to long bus routes. FCPS now lists 3 secondary schools -Robinson, Lake Braddock, and Hayfield. Will co-located schools like South County /South County MS or Frost [1 minute from Woodson] share buses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just think it's funny how so many people are worried about their up-coming ms students having to go to school at 7:30, when thousands of ms students in FCPS have been doing this for the last 40 years! Like you never noticed that other kids (at the secondary schools) had a raw deal? And suddenly now that it's your kid, it's unacceptable?

Suck it up. It's your kids' turn to catch the 6:40 a.m. bus.

So true. Once it affects someone personally, then it becomes unacceptable, but if it's someone else's kid waiting outside in the dark? Oh well, too bad.

Our middle school has always started at 7:40am, so 7:30 won't be a huge difference. The kids will still be waiting outside in the pitch dark for a 6:20 bus.

It's always been unacceptable, no one thinks otherwise. Many of us were hoping for an across the board improvement. I don't know why people think it's about "turns" or "sucking it up" because things were done a certain way in the past, everyone deserves to suffer at some point. It's faulty thinking. There isn't one way that will work for all students and families, but it is ironic that a mission to start school later is actually starting school earlier.

It's a matter of money. People in NOVA don't want to pay more in taxes. That means no money for extra buses, so compromises must be made. It's too bad everyone can't go to school at a reasonable time, but as someone who has seen 2 kids go from grade school to HS, I would much rather they make the high school start later. Middle school is two years -- most kids don't really hit the teen sleep thing until high school -- I know both my kids could still fall asleep in middle school, it was high school when their body clocks got out of whack.

Perhaps an incentive for fewer parents to red shirt?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The survey results from parents were really unclear. They just asked what the benefits of each option were. I don't think they even looked at it.

Based on what? Everything was reviewed as I have a friend on the school board.

Face it, this change is going to happen. It needs to happen. It's for the health of kids. And no matter how much that screws people's schedules up, we're all going to have to adjust. Kind of like half-day Mondays and the new school schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the buses. Small school systems tend to have everyone going to school at more civilized, later times.

+1

I understand that FCPS has an incredibly large complicated bus fleet. But I don't understand why. Can't they divide the district, maybe by cluster, into totally independent groups? And divide the bus fleet?

FCPS has an incredibly large bus fleet because it is the tenth largest school system in the United States AND it is not a city with a separate extensive public transportation system. The large school systems in cities rely on public transportation. Fairfax County is over 400 square miles.

Another factor is large parts of Fairfax County that do not have sidewalks. I know in my area of McLean, we could significantly increase the number of walkers if there were sidewalks on the road leading to the schools. This is probably multiplied throughout the whole county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The survey results from parents were really unclear. They just asked what the benefits of each option were. I don't think they even looked at it.

Based on what? Everything was reviewed as I have a friend on the school board.

Face it, this change is going to happen. It needs to happen. It's for the health of kids. And no matter how much that screws people's schedules up, we're all going to have to adjust. Kind of like half-day Mondays and the new school schedule.

There were a lot of negative comments for Option 3. I didn't see a full analysis done of the comments - just a listing for each Option of what people typed in word for word. At least for full-day Mondays, they were able to show that a majority of parents wanted the change, although a majority of teachers did not want full day Mondays. With the 4 options for later start times, it seemed that "no change" was a commonly expressed opinion, otherwise it seemed there was alot of support for Options 1 and 4.

I wish the school board would take the approach of the Hippocratic oath - first, do no harm. If it's indeed "for the health of kids", it should be done for all kids, without making it worse for some kids. The money is out there. How much did they pay Children's to do the study? They could have just bought more buses.