Please, y'all need to realize it's going to be ok. The world will adapt...there will be childcare when there's a demand. Commutes will work out. Kids will still learn and have activities.

Or believe the hype that apparently there are only a couple golden hours a day when any child can focus. And most teachers will quit. And kids won't be able to do sports or have fun anymore. 🙄

Anonymous wrote:Per usual, their survey sucks. They also don’t make it clear that if you are currently a late start ES, you get the crappy late start in option 2, putting kids in school at 9:50am.

Both of these plans have flaws that make them far worse than middle schoolers waking up super early for two years. And I say that as someone who taught middle school both before and after the start times changed. The school board needs to just leave start times alone.

I've taught middle school for almost 30 years-- when we started at 7:25-7:30, when we started at 8:00, and when we again started at 7:30.

The early schedule is definitely the best. Middle schooler students are tired in the mornings regardless of start times, but they are far better behaved and do better academically than when we started at 8:00. The later school start, even by just 30 minutes, led to far more behavior issues and kids being done with academics by 12:30, which meant their last few classes were a struggle to get through.

Per usual, their survey sucks. They also don’t make it clear that if you are currently a late start ES, you get the crappy late start in option 2, putting kids in school at 9:50am.

Both of these plans have flaws that make them far worse than middle schoolers waking up super early for two years. And I say that as someone who taught middle school both before and after the start times changed. The school board needs to just leave start times alone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of late buses they can have early buses for kids to get to activities...cost neutral.

I’m pretty sure the late buses become available after the bus fleet does the first set of elementary schools. Therefore early buses won’t be available because they’ll be making elementary schools runs. Unless early buses are running at 6am.

Do these people ever think of the way families operate?

Anonymous wrote:Instead of late buses they can have early buses for kids to get to activities...cost neutral.

I’m pretty sure the late buses become available after the bus fleet does the first set of elementary schools. Therefore early buses won’t be available because they’ll be making elementary schools runs. Unless early buses are running at 6am.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do the surveys have “community members” to have a vote? Is it for neighbors that don’t want buses at certain times on their streets? I actually am not trying to be sarcastic and am genuinely asking for anyone that knows- why allow community members a survey vote or to have access to survey at all? Also, nothing to keep people from submitting multiple surveys from different devices or lying about who are when completing-odd to me.

School times affect peoples' commutes.

When changes are 1/2 hour increments?

Yes. I currently leave my 4:05 end time school around 4:20. The days I leave even 10 mins later, my commute is longer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of late buses they can have early buses for kids to get to activities...cost neutral.

Do you really want your kids doing soccer before school starts? Ground still wet, etc.

The smell sweaty athletes in a classroom all day…. That could cause staff movement too!!!

Anonymous wrote:Instead of late buses they can have early buses for kids to get to activities...cost neutral.

Late buses not a daily concept at HS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do the surveys have “community members” to have a vote? Is it for neighbors that don’t want buses at certain times on their streets? I actually am not trying to be sarcastic and am genuinely asking for anyone that knows- why allow community members a survey vote or to have access to survey at all? Also, nothing to keep people from submitting multiple surveys from different devices or lying about who are when completing-odd to me.

School times affect peoples' commutes.

When changes are 1/2 hour increments?

Anonymous wrote:Instead of late buses they can have early buses for kids to get to activities...cost neutral.

Do you really want your kids doing soccer before school starts? Ground still wet, etc.

Instead of late buses they can have early buses for kids to get to activities...cost neutral.

Anonymous wrote:Why do the surveys have “community members” to have a vote? Is it for neighbors that don’t want buses at certain times on their streets? I actually am not trying to be sarcastic and am genuinely asking for anyone that knows- why allow community members a survey vote or to have access to survey at all? Also, nothing to keep people from submitting multiple surveys from different devices or lying about who are when completing-odd to me.

School times affect peoples' commutes.

Yeah, if the start times change this drastically there’s going to be a lot of movement for staff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just took the survey (current staff member). As usual, I didn't see a box for comments. I feel like every time they put out a survey, their minds are pretty much made up before the data even comes in.

+1- also where is the box that says as a parent, I’m concerned my middle school kid will have a bunch of new to middle school teachers if they don’t like the start times. (I don’t blame them!)

Large staff movements could definitely happen- for secondary teachers who live out of county or just far from their schools, pushing the times back 30-60 minutes would wreak havoc on commutes.

This would happen worse at ES level with late start. I will leave if my school is pushed back to 9:50 and go closer to my house (not in FCPS). I have been at my school for 15 years.

Anonymous wrote:Many after school activities can be before school instead. And the school district's mandate is to provide education for our children in a healthy environment (and healthy start times are backed by research)...not to make sure kids can go to clubs.

I'm incensed with the SB for lots related to the boundary review and programming, but making the start times change is in line with their responsibilities.

How do you propose children get to school for those activities? Please don’t say their parents can drop them off, for that is quite obviously not a solution that is feasible, equitable, and possible for most families.