Start High School Later in Montgomery County Movement and Petition

[Anonymous]

Helicopter moms and their hen (+ nanny) pecked children.

[Anonymous]

Would love an earlier elementary school start time. It is crazy to start school so late given when most working parents need to leave for work. There are not always enough before care slots available and it can be expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Aren't most GIANTs open till at least midnight? Is the 3pm shift start time mandated across the state? If high school started at 8 instead of 7, wouldn't shopkeepers who employ high school students simply adjust shift times to start at 4pm? Is it a good thing for a high-schooler to be working until midnight? Of course not. But how is it much worse than working until 11, given that he will now have another hour of sleep in the morning?

Also, I may be privileged, sheltered and misinformed, but we are talking Montgomery county here, not some poverty-stricken war zone. I am all in favor of teenagers learning the value of a dollar the hard way, but the majority of high school students who have jobs do it for the extra spending money. Theirs isn't the only paycheck standing between their family and eviction. So is it really such a bad thing if some of these jobs do end up going to adults with families to feed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Also, I may be privileged, sheltered and misinformed, but we are talking Montgomery county here, not some poverty-stricken war zone. I am all in favor of teenagers learning the value of a dollar the hard way, but the majority of high school students who have jobs do it for the extra spending money. Theirs isn't the only paycheck standing between their family and eviction. So is it really such a bad thing if some of these jobs do end up going to adults with families to feed?

Privileged doesn't begin to describe what you are cupcake. If you're unaware that there are in fact families right here in Montgomery county that depend on their high school aged child's paycheck to help pay for life's basics, you need to take a day away from the spa and open your eyes.

[Anonymous]

Aren't most GIANTs open till at least midnight? Is the 3pm shift start time mandated across the state? If high school started at 8 instead of 7, wouldn't shopkeepers who employ high school students simply adjust shift times to start at 4pm? Is it a good thing for a high-schooler to be working until midnight? Of course not. But how is it much worse than working until 11, given that he will now have another hour of sleep in the morning?

Also, I may be privileged, sheltered and misinformed, but we are talking Montgomery county here, not some poverty-stricken war zone. I am all in favor of teenagers learning the value of a dollar the hard way, but the majority of high school students who have jobs do it for the extra spending money. Theirs isn't the only paycheck standing between their family and eviction. So is it really such a bad thing if some of these jobs do end up going to adults with families to feed?

That is precisely why there will be no change in the start time for high school students. You can take that from MCPS, a MC resident and parent. Rest your horses.

[Anonymous]

Many counties have already reversed the schedules, with elementary going first. Loudoun and Henrico (Richmond suburb) come to mind. No additional buses needed!

[Anonymous]

Dr. Starr is taking the position that this is a non-issue because no proposal has "crossed his desk."

He's going to ignore it as the whim of indulgent, over-involved parents unless a strong, well-thought-out proposal is sent to him through the proper channels (and I don't know what those are).

So petition-sponsors be on notice: he's gonna ignore you as long as he can. Take the next step.

[Anonymous]

I have signed the petition. I remember taking BC calculus in high school at 7:30 in the morning. I was beyond exhausted, and I think I would have done much better in the class had it started later.

I did well in all my math classes before that one and after. It was the start time that was the problem. I even remember one student who put her head down on her desk for most of the class - and she did want to learn the subject: she went to a highly ranked engineering program for college.

Personally, I hate that my elementary students have excess time in the morning (we start at 9:15) and don't get home until 4pm. Playdates and activities can be squeezed in, but it's hard with family dinner, homework, showers... they are the ones that need an early bedtime, and it's a huge rush to fit it all in. I would LOVE to switch with the high school schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So petition-sponsors be on notice: he's gonna ignore you as long as he can. Take the next step.

What is the next step?

[Anonymous]

Aren't most GIANTs open till at least midnight? Is the 3pm shift start time mandated across the state? If high school started at 8 instead of 7, wouldn't shopkeepers who employ high school students simply adjust shift times to start at 4pm? Is it a good thing for a high-schooler to be working until midnight? Of course not. But how is it much worse than working until 11, given that he will now have another hour of sleep in the morning?

I worked at a 24-hour CVS in high school, and recall that there were time limits on when kids who were under 18 could work. I think 11:00 pm was the limit.

[Anonymous]

So if children started high school later, does this mean they will be in school longer, in the afternoon? I would hate for my child to be in school from 9 to 6. If my elementary school child can wake up at 6 and function through out the day, I think a high schooler can wake at 7 and do the same. Welcome to the real world teenagers. College and a job won't change their schedule for you, so not sure why highschool should. I am against it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would love an earlier elementary school start time. It is crazy to start school so late given when most working parents need to leave for work. There are not always enough before care slots available and it can be expensive.

Then we would have the issue of not enough aftercare slots and parents not being able to leave work early to pick up their child. No one will truly be happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Aren't most GIANTs open till at least midnight? Is the 3pm shift start time mandated across the state? If high school started at 8 instead of 7, wouldn't shopkeepers who employ high school students simply adjust shift times to start at 4pm? Is it a good thing for a high-schooler to be working until midnight? Of course not. But how is it much worse than working until 11, given that he will now have another hour of sleep in the morning?

I worked at a 24-hour CVS in high school, and recall that there were time limits on when kids who were under 18 could work. I think 11:00 pm was the limit.

I just looked it up; here's what the Maryland work permit says: "Minors 16 and 17 years of age may spend no more than 12 hours in a combination of school hours and work hours each day. They must also be allowed at least 8 consecutive hours of non-work, non-school time in each 24-hour period."

As the parent of two high schoolers, I think this whole issue is going to go nowhere. My own kids don't think the starting time needs to be changed and feel that kids will just stay up later than they do now, if a later start time is implemented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Aren't most GIANTs open till at least midnight? Is the 3pm shift start time mandated across the state? If high school started at 8 instead of 7, wouldn't shopkeepers who employ high school students simply adjust shift times to start at 4pm? Is it a good thing for a high-schooler to be working until midnight? Of course not. But how is it much worse than working until 11, given that he will now have another hour of sleep in the morning?

I worked at a 24-hour CVS in high school, and recall that there were time limits on when kids who were under 18 could work. I think 11:00 pm was the limit.

I just looked it up; here's what the Maryland work permit says: "Minors 16 and 17 years of age may spend no more than 12 hours in a combination of school hours and work hours each day. They must also be allowed at least 8 consecutive hours of non-work, non-school time in each 24-hour period."

As the parent of two high schoolers, I think this whole issue is going to go nowhere. My own kids don't think the starting time needs to be changed and feel that kids will just stay up later than they do now, if a later start time is implemented.

Precisely!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So petition-sponsors be on notice: he's gonna ignore you as long as he can. Take the next step.

What is the next step?

Apparently he wants an actual proposal, not just a petition. In other words, he's prepared to ignore the many parents who've signed the petition and not do what's reasonable and responsive as a public official -- i.e., form a group to look into the issue. Instead, he will ignore it, claiming that it hasn't been presented in the form of a proposal. And if someone does, he will probably claim that the proposal doesn't adequately take into account costs, etc.

He will make it impossible to get it considered because he is scornful of parent concerns and believes that he knows best.