What is your middle-schooler's schedule like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Takoma Park MS parent here. I echo the short commute to/from school and it's very walkable/bikable on Sligo Creek. My son typically leaves the house around 7:35 a.m. for the bus. We live about 1.5 miles from the school -- it's about a 10-15 minute ride. Activity buses take a little longer, but he and a friend just decided to walk home instead of taking the bus last week.

In terms of after-care, by 5th grade for my youngest, we've been leaving him home alone. He comes home, gets a snack and starts homework. We actually used to leave the house before he did in the morning and he'd set an alarm for leaving on time for his bus. He never missed it. By this age, they are completely capable of being responsible.

OP here: Helpful, thanks. Do the kids not mind being home alone for a couple of hours after school? My kids are responsible but they don't really like being home alone. Do families ever pool on the afternoon responsibilities?

[Anonymous]

OP I wouldn't worry too much about finding a house based on MS commute-- aside from kids going to magnet programs (which have very large catchment areas) any commute should be reasonable.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think that DD would say that being able to come home and be on her own for a couple of hours is one of the things she likes best about middle school.

[Anonymous]

I think that activity buses become an equity issue in middle school, in particular. Some students may need to stay after school to consult with a teacher or to use a computer and wifi that might not be found at home. In high school, the students can actually use a free pass to take a public RIDE-ON bus if they need to, but I am a bit nervous about my daughter doing this because of where her school is located in Wheaton. In other areas, taking the RIDE-ON bus is probably no big deal. Participating in extra-curriculars in high school is very important for all, because they affect college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Activity buses are totally standard and definitely necessary. Many if not most kids are coming home on a 4:30 bus to an empty house, so if parents were expected to pick them up after their activity then no one would be able to do activities.

Maybe in your county but I've never heard of them elsewhere. I don't think it's a school system's responsibility to provide additional busing for the convenience of parents. In ES, parents pay for before and after school childcare. Why should that be replaced with free busing in MS and HS?

Our local school is about half kids on free lunch. Their parents are at work. If they don't get a bus home then they can't stay and do band rehearsal or French club or tutoring. "Convenience of parents" makes it sound like a luxury. These buses are a necessity especially for poor children who also deserve enrichment even if their parents can't drive them all over the county for paid activities. It would be wildly unfair if rich schools got to field, say, football and soccer teams and poor schools didn't because no one could stay after school for practice.

[Anonymous]

I was in middle school in an affluent county in New York almost 40 years ago, and we had "late" buses then too for those of us in after school activities. It is pretty standard practice to have both after school activities and transportation home afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Activity buses are totally standard and definitely necessary. Many if not most kids are coming home on a 4:30 bus to an empty house, so if parents were expected to pick them up after their activity then no one would be able to do activities.

Maybe in your county but I've never heard of them elsewhere. I don't think it's a school system's responsibility to provide additional busing for the convenience of parents. In ES, parents pay for before and after school childcare. Why should that be replaced with free busing in MS and HS?

Our local school is about half kids on free lunch. Their parents are at work. If they don't get a bus home then they can't stay and do band rehearsal or French club or tutoring. "Convenience of parents" makes it sound like a luxury. These buses are a necessity especially for poor children who also deserve enrichment even if their parents can't drive them all over the county for paid activities. It would be wildly unfair if rich schools got to field, say, football and soccer teams and poor schools didn't because no one could stay after school for practice.

The buses are for rich counties who have the funds for them. The rest of the world doesn't use tax payer dollars so kids can do extra curricular activities. My school runs out of basic supplies every year. We don't have enough books for everyone. Late buses are not a necessity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Activity buses are totally standard and definitely necessary. Many if not most kids are coming home on a 4:30 bus to an empty house, so if parents were expected to pick them up after their activity then no one would be able to do activities.

Maybe in your county but I've never heard of them elsewhere. I don't think it's a school system's responsibility to provide additional busing for the convenience of parents. In ES, parents pay for before and after school childcare. Why should that be replaced with free busing in MS and HS?

Our local school is about half kids on free lunch. Their parents are at work. If they don't get a bus home then they can't stay and do band rehearsal or French club or tutoring. "Convenience of parents" makes it sound like a luxury. These buses are a necessity especially for poor children who also deserve enrichment even if their parents can't drive them all over the county for paid activities. It would be wildly unfair if rich schools got to field, say, football and soccer teams and poor schools didn't because no one could stay after school for practice.

Once you get to HS sports team practice end after the late bus so kids still need transportation..