Start High School Later in Montgomery County Movement and Petition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If school starts late when should club activities begin and end? How about athletics? Practise in the dark with the sun setting or mandate lit fields?

DC's high school day ends at 2:10pm. You could still have clubs and sports even if they had to start at 3:30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If school starts late when should club activities begin and end? How about athletics? Practise in the dark with the sun setting or mandate lit fields?

DC's high school day ends at 2:10pm. You could still have clubs and sports even if they had to start at 3:30.

Not to mention all those kids that don't do a club or sport. They're unsupervised and roaming around from 2:10 on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This topic of later start times for HS was brought up some years ago, and the issue was with the school bus schedules; it was going to require a bunch of new buses to be purchased, since right now the same buses which take h.s. students to school later take elementary students to school.

From what I have read, there is no talk of sending elementary school students to school earlier, by the way.

My high schoolers don't want to have their school day start and end any later; they say it wouldn't give them enough time to relax in the evening, especially when they have an afterschool activity. As it is, if a sporting event they are participating in runs late, some nights they come home, eat, and then have start on their assignments right away, so they can get to bed at a decent hour. You can't expect kids to excel in all the advanced classes they are expected to take and not give them sufficient time to unwind in the evenings.

Wouldn't starting school a little later do exactly that: allow them to go to bed later so they can unwind in the evenings?

Starting ES earlier seems like the only way to implement this without spending a lot of money on new buses and creating major gridlock. And from everything I heard, most ES kids' parents would be very happy with earlier start times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This topic of later start times for HS was brought up some years ago, and the issue was with the school bus schedules; it was going to require a bunch of new buses to be purchased, since right now the same buses which take h.s. students to school later take elementary students to school.

From what I have read, there is no talk of sending elementary school students to school earlier, by the way.

My high schoolers don't want to have their school day start and end any later; they say it wouldn't give them enough time to relax in the evening, especially when they have an afterschool activity. As it is, if a sporting event they are participating in runs late, some nights they come home, eat, and then have start on their assignments right away, so they can get to bed at a decent hour. You can't expect kids to excel in all the advanced classes they are expected to take and not give them sufficient time to unwind in the evenings.

Wouldn't starting school a little later do exactly that: allow them to go to bed later so they can unwind in the evenings?

Starting ES earlier seems like the only way to implement this without spending a lot of money on new buses and creating major gridlock. And from everything I heard, most ES kids' parents would be very happy with earlier start times.

Maybe on DCUM, but maybe not in real life. It would mean ES kids standing outside in the dark to wait for school buses. That doesn't sound like it would be a popular idea. Also, kids would have to be fed lunch at like 10 am and they would be out of school at 1:30, creating a need for as much as 5 hours of after school Childcare which would have to provide a substantial meal for the kids since lunch would be so early. This presently doesn't exist and if created, could greatly increase Childcare costs.

[Anonymous]

Start HS as late as you want, your kid will still be up until 2am watching YouTube or playing X-box

[Anonymous]

It may or may not cost more money. Some districts have switched elementary and HS. This should require no more buses. The vast majority of elementary students are naturally up way before HS students as they are able to fall asleep earlier. Parents may not have to find before care, or be chronically late for work as well. Some elem. schoosl start at 9:20 AM! There are many, many creative ways to solve this.

HOWEVER, we at Start School Late Montgomery, are not for any proposal that would have any group of students start school at a time that is not good for them.

Loundon Co. moved its start time to 9 AM a few years ago and Arlington to 8:15, and sports and extra-curriculars adjusted. A lot of concern is in the, "fear of change," category.

Also, so what if it costs more money? We are one of the wealthiest counties in the country and there is money there for the issues the board and superintendent prioritize. Also, the economy is improving which will only help the school budget. Allowing our teens to get at least one more hour sleep will save lives, and allow the vast majority of teens to be healthier and happier! This is not overstating the issue. If you think I am overstating it, please read the research.

In terms of swimmers, they may be a self-selected group that does better without the recomended amount of sleep. About 15% of teens get the required amount. The vast majority of teens suffer from sleep deprivation. I think sports are great, but I wonder how many swimmers just don't talk about how exhausted they are. Also, research has shown that teens are not always aware of the fact that the are sleep deprived, and, are GPAs and swimming level the best indicators of how our kids are doing? As I know all parents do, I want my kids to be doing well physically, academically, socially, and emotionally. Thanks for reading. Mandi Mader

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our pre-adults need to adapt: early risers and early to bed. Unless the engines of our economy (including Wall Street) start the day at noon or later it's best to leave things as in.

You are unintentionally funny. Wall Street (and those you consider engines of the economy) do not wake up at 5 something. Wall Street and many New York professional practices (law, accounting) are late to rise, late to bed.

[Anonymous]

Which investment bankers are youreferring to?

[Anonymous]

Yup, they roll out of bed when the market is closed since all trades they make are done by computers while they sleep off the late night drinking and partying in the Manhattan night clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It may or may not cost more money. Some districts have switched elementary and HS. This should require no more buses. The vast majority of elementary students are naturally up way before HS students as they are able to fall asleep earlier. Parents may not have to find before care, or be chronically late for work as well. Some elem. schoosl start at 9:20 AM! There are many, many creative ways to solve this.

HOWEVER, we at Start School Late Montgomery, are not for any proposal that would have any group of students start school at a time that is not good for them.

Loundon Co. moved its start time to 9 AM a few years ago and Arlington to 8:15, and sports and extra-curriculars adjusted. A lot of concern is in the, "fear of change," category.

Also, so what if it costs more money? We are one of the wealthiest counties in the country and there is money there for the issues the board and superintendent prioritize. Also, the economy is improving which will only help the school budget. Allowing our teens to get at least one more hour sleep will save lives, and allow the vast majority of teens to be healthier and happier! This is not overstating the issue. If you think I am overstating it, please read the research.

In terms of swimmers, they may be a self-selected group that does better without the recomended amount of sleep. About 15% of teens get the required amount. The vast majority of teens suffer from sleep deprivation. I think sports are great, but I wonder how many swimmers just don't talk about how exhausted they are. Also, research has shown that teens are not always aware of the fact that the are sleep deprived, and, are GPAs and swimming level the best indicators of how our kids are doing? As I know all parents do, I want my kids to be doing well physically, academically, socially, and emotionally. Thanks for reading. Mandi Mader

+1

[Anonymous]

I think with the swimmers it not self selection rather early rising sets in habits, discipline and time management skills that breed success. In my experiences, and travels around the world, children that are early risers through infancy, adolescence and adulthood are more successfull in their various works of life. Just an observation. On the contrary, those that get up late through early and mid life are generally not as successfull. Again, a personal observation.

[Anonymous]

In other countries, sports do not run schools. The focus is on academics, with practices and sporting events happening outside of school.

Also, while we may think of US schools as "one size fits all," it's worse elsewhere - where students are tracked before reaching high school. So the courses/pathways are very scripted, offering very little in terms of electives. That means their days can be condensed.

different philosophy altogether

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But do Russian HS students get 3 months off in summer?

yes, almost 3 month
school year starts September 1st, ends in May, then end of year exams first week of June.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have also often wondered where the claim "kids around the world spend more days in school" comes from. I also went to school in the f.USSR and we had a full 3 months of summer vacation plus two weeks in the winter (no fall or spring break though) and I don't remember our school days being that much longer either. That claim might have been true 30 years ago when both kids and adults in USSR has six day work weeks, but it is certainly not true any more.

P.S. Our school day started at 8am, and because smaller neighborhood schools you could walk to in less than 15 minutes were the rule, few students had to wake up before 7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This topic of later start times for HS was brought up some years ago, and the issue was with the school bus schedules; it was going to require a bunch of new buses to be purchased, since right now the same buses which take h.s. students to school later take elementary students to school.

From what I have read, there is no talk of sending elementary school students to school earlier, by the way.

My high schoolers don't want to have their school day start and end any later; they say it wouldn't give them enough time to relax in the evening, especially when they have an afterschool activity. As it is, if a sporting event they are participating in runs late, some nights they come home, eat, and then have start on their assignments right away, so they can get to bed at a decent hour. You can't expect kids to excel in all the advanced classes they are expected to take and not give them sufficient time to unwind in the evenings.

Wouldn't starting school a little later do exactly that: allow them to go to bed later so they can unwind in the evenings?

Starting ES earlier seems like the only way to implement this without spending a lot of money on new buses and creating major gridlock. And from everything I heard, most ES kids' parents would be very happy with earlier start times.

Maybe on DCUM, but maybe not in real life. It would mean ES kids standing outside in the dark to wait for school buses. That doesn't sound like it would be a popular idea. Also, kids would have to be fed lunch at like 10 am and they would be out of school at 1:30, creating a need for as much as 5 hours of after school Childcare which would have to provide a substantial meal for the kids since lunch would be so early. This presently doesn't exist and if created, could greatly increase Childcare costs.

Exactly - I certainly don't want my Kindergartener standing outside in the dark waiting for the bus.

[Anonymous]

[

"Exactly - I certainly don't want my Kindergartener standing outside in the dark waiting for the bus.

I am not sure whether I agree with you. I have an elementary school age child and we wait at the bus stop with her so I would not have as many concerns about her safety as I would when she is in high school and walks to the bus stop herself.

Also to the earlier concern about child care for elementary school age kids, right now, most kids with working parents are in before care and in after care. An earlier start time would mean longer after care but no before care.

Our neighborhood high school children have to be at the bus stop at 6.45 - that seems way too early to me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If school starts late when should club activities begin and end? How about athletics? Practise in the dark with the sun setting or mandate lit fields?

DC's high school day ends at 2:10pm. You could still have clubs and sports even if they had to start at 3:30.

Look - at the SIS BOOM RAH RAH RAH schools, where kids are driving their BMWs to school, this is fine. But for OUR students, who work after school, it's not ideal. I have one student who works at Giant, M-F from 3-11 to help pay the rent.

I am amazed at the bubbles DCUMers live in. . .

tragic

May Obama win this one one again!