Middle School start times
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Anonymous
|
The slides are out for the proposal on school start times. Looks like C2 might be where we are headed, because both Prismatic and transportation are OK with it (9:40 MS start time). The last slide also advocates for doing this in parallel with the boundary changes in SY 26-27.
https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/DDVKKR522B0A/$file/Middle%20School%20Start%20Times%20-%20Next%20Steps%20Feb%2018%202025.pdf |
Anonymous
| God that is even worse. Either hire more bus drivers or make more kids walk. Can they not figure out how to start the school day at a normal time? |
Anonymous
| SY 26-27 is gonna be wild, y’all. |
Anonymous
|
Here’s the updated Prismatic report for the meeting Tuesday.
https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/DDVSK6730198/$file/MS%20Start%20Times%20Feb%2018%202025%20WS%20UPDATED%20Content2.pdf |
Anonymous
| My high schooler would love either C2 or E. |
Anonymous
|
Ugh.
High school needs to be left at its current start time. Middle school should have the worst schedule, since it is only 2 years and middle school kids are unpleasant no matter what time they wake up. |
Anonymous
| My spouse and other MS teachers I know are telling me keep it as is or E. As it is, many teachers stay for after school sports and clubs. They feel with a later bell schedule fewer teachers will be willing or able to do that. |
Anonymous
| What does parallel mean in this situation? |
Anonymous
It means it happens at the same time as whatever boundary changes occur, instead of in sequential years (the other option). |
Anonymous
| I don’t like the early time, but any change affects ES/MS/HS that delay school start time after 9am and dismissal after 3:30pm just make things worse. |
Anonymous
| They want to start elementary school at basically 10am? I am screaming this is WILD. |
Anonymous
No, Scenario C2 as the OP pointed out has MIDDLE SCHOOL starting at 9:40 and ending at 4:25. Elementary Schools would run 8a - 2:45 or 9:10 - 3:55, and HS 8:30-3:15. I'm gonna say that this will completely throw a wrench in after school activities for that age group. You're going to have them getting home at 5pm, and then activities running 7-9? 7:30 - 9:30? I feel like this is just going to push 12 and 13yo kids to go to bed even later because they go to school later, which is counter to the entire point of this exercise. At this point, just leave it like it is and shuffle through the 2 years of Middle School with the early wake up/rise. Yikes. |
Anonymous
| Or will they just stop doing after-school clubs? I’m curious how important those are to the middle school experience, as my kids are all still in elementary. |
Anonymous
| Option E looks like it’s going to win. The Office of Activities and Athletics approved it and said it wouldn’t impact sports. |
Anonymous
| I guess it depends on how much they care what Prismatic (who did not recommend option E) had to say. |