Petition: Later MCPS school start times

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

My children don't have IEP's. There are two dangerous roads where kids have been hit and most the streets don't have sidewalks. Start with getting us sidewalks - MoCo has refused. And, crossing guards for the dangerous streets. So, no, they will not be walking in unsafe conditions. And, come rush hour its a nightmare driving let alone walking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

Loudoun is the only local school district with a 930 start time. But their enrollment is only half the size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

My children don't have IEP's. There are two dangerous roads where kids have been hit and most the streets don't have sidewalks. Start with getting us sidewalks - MoCo has refused. And, crossing guards for the dangerous streets. So, no, they will not be walking in unsafe conditions. And, come rush hour its a nightmare driving let alone walking.

If your teenaged kids are not able to walk to school on their own, they probably do have developmental disabilities that would qualify them for IEPs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

My children don't have IEP's. There are two dangerous roads where kids have been hit and most the streets don't have sidewalks. Start with getting us sidewalks - MoCo has refused. And, crossing guards for the dangerous streets. So, no, they will not be walking in unsafe conditions. And, come rush hour its a nightmare driving let alone walking.

If your teenaged kids are not able to walk to school on their own, they probably do have developmental disabilities that would qualify them for IEPs.

If you don't know how many teenagers get hit by cars while they're walking to or from school every year in Montgomery County, you probably need to educate yourself about this issue.

Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation is supposed to start tracking and publishing this data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

How do you know where the PP lives? Would you be comfortable with your 14-year-old crossing Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill in the morning in the dark? I wouldn't. Maybe you should walk the PP's kids' school route yourself, before deciding that the PP is a loon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

How do you know where the PP lives? Would you be comfortable with your 14-year-old crossing Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill in the morning in the dark? I wouldn't. Maybe you should walk the PP's kids' school route yourself, before deciding that the PP is a loon.

Because the PP said they don't have bus service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

How do you know where the PP lives? Would you be comfortable with your 14-year-old crossing Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill in the morning in the dark? I wouldn't. Maybe you should walk the PP's kids' school route yourself, before deciding that the PP is a loon.

Because the PP said they don't have bus service.

So all you know is that PP lives in a place where MCPS doesn't provide hazard busing. MCPS expects Wheaton and Einstein kids to cross Connecticut Avenue. No hazard busing for Wheaton and Einstein kids across Connecticut Avenue! But MCPS does provide hazard busing to B-CC kids across Connecticut Avenue. Go figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

How do you know where the PP lives? Would you be comfortable with your 14-year-old crossing Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill in the morning in the dark? I wouldn't. Maybe you should walk the PP's kids' school route yourself, before deciding that the PP is a loon.

Because the PP said they don't have bus service.

So all you know is that PP lives in a place where MCPS doesn't provide hazard busing. MCPS expects Wheaton and Einstein kids to cross Connecticut Avenue. No hazard busing for Wheaton and Einstein kids across Connecticut Avenue! But MCPS does provide hazard busing to B-CC kids across Connecticut Avenue. Go figure.

There are traffic signals and crosswalks on Connecticut. We're talking about teenagers here, not elementary kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

Not everyone lives in cushy Potomac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

How do you know where the PP lives? Would you be comfortable with your 14-year-old crossing Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill in the morning in the dark? I wouldn't. Maybe you should walk the PP's kids' school route yourself, before deciding that the PP is a loon.

Because the PP said they don't have bus service.

So all you know is that PP lives in a place where MCPS doesn't provide hazard busing. MCPS expects Wheaton and Einstein kids to cross Connecticut Avenue. No hazard busing for Wheaton and Einstein kids across Connecticut Avenue! But MCPS does provide hazard busing to B-CC kids across Connecticut Avenue. Go figure.

There are traffic signals and crosswalks on Connecticut. We're talking about teenagers here, not elementary kids.

No, not in all areas nor sidewalks. You clearly don’t live down county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

How do you know where the PP lives? Would you be comfortable with your 14-year-old crossing Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill in the morning in the dark? I wouldn't. Maybe you should walk the PP's kids' school route yourself, before deciding that the PP is a loon.

Because the PP said they don't have bus service.

So all you know is that PP lives in a place where MCPS doesn't provide hazard busing. MCPS expects Wheaton and Einstein kids to cross Connecticut Avenue. No hazard busing for Wheaton and Einstein kids across Connecticut Avenue! But MCPS does provide hazard busing to B-CC kids across Connecticut Avenue. Go figure.

There are traffic signals and crosswalks on Connecticut. We're talking about teenagers here, not elementary kids.

No, not in all areas nor sidewalks. You clearly don’t live down county.

Side streets, not thoroughfares, might not have sidewalks.

And yes, you may need to plan a route to cross at a signaled intersection, but neurotypical teenagers should be able to figure that out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

How do you know where the PP lives? Would you be comfortable with your 14-year-old crossing Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill in the morning in the dark? I wouldn't. Maybe you should walk the PP's kids' school route yourself, before deciding that the PP is a loon.

Because the PP said they don't have bus service.

So all you know is that PP lives in a place where MCPS doesn't provide hazard busing. MCPS expects Wheaton and Einstein kids to cross Connecticut Avenue. No hazard busing for Wheaton and Einstein kids across Connecticut Avenue! But MCPS does provide hazard busing to B-CC kids across Connecticut Avenue. Go figure.

There are traffic signals and crosswalks on Connecticut. We're talking about teenagers here, not elementary kids.

No, not in all areas nor sidewalks. You clearly don’t live down county.

Do you hold your DS's dick, too, when he has to pee, or do you let him do that on his own?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks who are opposed to changing (or even discussing a change) school bell times are
A) don't want to change their own schedule in their stubborn old age
B) MCPS lawyer
C) both A and B above

We have kids in multiple after school activities and they have homework. If your kid needs sleep send them to bed earlier. You are stubborn to demand everyone change their scheduled based off your lazy parenting. Some of us have to drive our kids to school as there is no bus. A 9:30 start time would be a nightmare.

you argue that "some" are trying to change the bell times. Yet it is also "some" who have to drive kids to school. Somehow your "some" is more important???

NP. All kids would benefit from a later start time, especially high schoolers, many of whom are physically incapable of falling asleep before midnight.

Science? We don't need no stinkin' science.

Especially the pseudo science they're pushing when parenting would suffice.

What? Every study on this issue says early school start times aren't good for kids. They're just practical for parents.

Primarily they are feasible for MCPS for school transportation. MCPS only has so many buses and so many bus drivers. Currently, most of the buses and bus drivers are used for 3-4 routes, twice a day: high school, then middle school, then two elementary school groups. For later high school start times, MCPS would either have to buy a lot more buses and hire a lot more bus drivers, or MCPS would have to rearrange the order of the routes. MCPS assessed the rearrange-the-order options in the Bell Times Study and decided that none of the options were better than the current option. And all of the reasons for that decision are still valid now.

So, if you want later school start times, you need to figure out a way to get lots of kids to/from school that isn't (1) school buses or (2) parents driving kids. Once you've figured that out, the rest will be easy.

Flip ES and HS start times. No extra buses necessary.

That would mean high schools would start at 9:30. Do you know of any large school districts with high school start times that late? Don't you think there are reasons for that?

They'd have to do sports and activities before school, for one thing so they'd need activity buses. And, they'd have to bring back the MVA or change it to one mile for buses as mine would have no way to get back and forth to school at that hour.

Can you explain what you mean by that? Why would they have a harder time getting to school "at that hour"?

Explain what? My kids need to be driven to school. We have no sidewalks, several major dangerous roads that kids have been hit by cars, no crossing guards, etc. So, for parents who have to drive, 9:30 is a huge problem if you are working or have to get to work.

And, the kids who are in sports and activities will just be up even later, to fit everything in and still have to get up for early AM practices so that only helps the tantruming parents whose kids are in no activities and parents refuse to parent and tell them to go to bed.

So, if my child's practice starts later, ends later, then homework and food, they would not go to bed till 1-2-3 am and have to be up at 4:30 for sports again.

Are you really suggesting that *high school* kids can't walk to school? Yes, some kids with special needs may be able to safely walk, but you can get transportation written into the IEP.

Don't get me wrong- I think switching the start times is an awful idea. I just think "high school kids being unable to walk" is an incredibly weak reason.

The PP doesn't have to suggest this. It's actual MCPS policy. MCPS does a lot of what's called "hazard busing", which is providing bus transportation for students who live within the walking distance (1.0 miles for ES, 1.5 miles for MS, 2.0 miles for HS) but there's no safe route for them to walk. If there were more safe routes for students to walk, then MCPS would need fewer buses/bus drivers, and there would be more flexibility for adjusting school start times.

But the PP doesn't live in such an area. She just doesn't trust her teenagers to walk to school. That implies she's either a loon or she's in denial about her kids having developmental disabilities.

How do you know where the PP lives? Would you be comfortable with your 14-year-old crossing Connecticut Avenue in Aspen Hill in the morning in the dark? I wouldn't. Maybe you should walk the PP's kids' school route yourself, before deciding that the PP is a loon.

Because the PP said they don't have bus service.

So all you know is that PP lives in a place where MCPS doesn't provide hazard busing. MCPS expects Wheaton and Einstein kids to cross Connecticut Avenue. No hazard busing for Wheaton and Einstein kids across Connecticut Avenue! But MCPS does provide hazard busing to B-CC kids across Connecticut Avenue. Go figure.

There are traffic signals and crosswalks on Connecticut. We're talking about teenagers here, not elementary kids.

No, not in all areas nor sidewalks. You clearly don’t live down county.

Side streets, not thoroughfares, might not have sidewalks.

And yes, you may need to plan a route to cross at a signaled intersection, but neurotypical teenagers should be able to figure that out.

Ok, no. And what about no sidewalks. I love my kids. I will drive them.