Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a sense of what the BOE will decide?

They are very liberal and impractical so they will probably make everyone start at 10am and raise taxes to buy more busses and Union bus drivers. They can go ahead and can more extracurriculars, the troubled kids don't do those anyways.
All is well.

Anonymous wrote:The bell times have worked for decades and decades. What has changed is high school workload, the increase in sport practice times, the increase in extra curriculars, and the ever obvious increase in electronics and screens. THESE are the problems and all of those things can be changed for FREE.

The homework could be decreased or given more time than one night to complete. Sports games could be shortened, practices could be 3 or 4 days a week instead of all 5. Parents could chill the F out on all the extras their kids are in including tutors and test prep classes. And phones/computers/tv could be taken away by 9-10pm.

My daughter is a swimmer. She is in the pool at 5:30am. She is in bed no later than 10pm and on really tiring days, she is snoring by 9pm. There is no messed up rhythm for her. She is active and needs sleep and not having any phone or computer in her room allows her to de-stress and fall asleep. Any teen can do it.

I don't care what the studies say. If you change the bell times, the kids in IB will still be up later working. The sports kids will be getting home later and starting homework later, and (shocker) staying up later at night. The kids on Instagram will think they have an extra hour to text/chat. It will not change. It hasn't in Fairfax after they spent over 10 million to study and implement it. Kids still complain of no time and lack of sleep. They are overworked. THAT is the problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS received 2,365 e-mails about bell times through February 2. 402 e-mails identified in what neighborhood or part of the county the e-mailer lives. 39% of those e-mails came from Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Is anybody surprised?

http://www.bethesdanow.com/2015/02/09/sleep-in-protest-set-for-day-before-mcps-bell-times-vote/#more-27486

No not at all. They are all the spoiled rich kids who don't babysit younger siblings, have parents that have nanny's or flex work and none of the kids need to work after school. So the change benefits them. Schools in lower SES can't afford the change. They need the older kids to watch the younger ones and if not, the older ones are working to help make ends meet. People on DCUM are clueless that many high school kids NEED to work.

Anonymous wrote:The bell times have worked for decades and decades. What has changed is high school workload, the increase in sport practice times, the increase in extra curriculars, and the ever obvious increase in electronics and screens. THESE are the problems and all of those things can be changed for FREE.

The homework could be decreased or given more time than one night to complete. Sports games could be shortened, practices could be 3 or 4 days a week instead of all 5. Parents could chill the F out on all the extras their kids are in including tutors and test prep classes. And phones/computers/tv could be taken away by 9-10pm.

My daughter is a swimmer. She is in the pool at 5:30am. She is in bed no later than 10pm and on really tiring days, she is snoring by 9pm. There is no messed up rhythm for her. She is active and needs sleep and not having any phone or computer in her room allows her to de-stress and fall asleep. Any teen can do it.

I don't care what the studies say. If you change the bell times, the kids in IB will still be up later working. The sports kids will be getting home later and starting homework later, and (shocker) staying up later at night. The kids on Instagram will think they have an extra hour to text/chat. It will not change. It hasn't in Fairfax after they spent over 10 million to study and implement it. Kids still complain of no time and lack of sleep. They are overworked. THAT is the problem.

Anonymous wrote:MCPS received 2,365 e-mails about bell times through February 2. 402 e-mails identified in what neighborhood or part of the county the e-mailer lives. 39% of those e-mails came from Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Is anybody surprised?

http://www.bethesdanow.com/2015/02/09/sleep-in-protest-set-for-day-before-mcps-bell-times-vote/#more-27486

Anonymous wrote:The MCPS Bell Times page has been updated based on public feedback through Feb. 2. Report is online at

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/info/belltimesworkgroup/2015BellTimesOptionsFeedback.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope bell time will be moved for HS.
My children will be on the bus for magnets, and 6:30 a.m. is way too early.

That was your choice.

Actually it was the BOE's decision to put the magnet programs ai my far away in east county, dozens of miles away from the most qualified kids.
Slick. I like it.

DOZENS of miles?

Well, maybe a dozen miles away, from the most affluent kids.

They were created to be MAGNETS - meaning pulling "the most affluent" [and white] kids into schools that did not have them to deal with segregation. Sorry Suzy can't have both a great quality HS and magnet school walking distance. The kids on the east side didn't have the HS to begin with, and now they have a magnet school that's pulling bright, diverse kids from all over. Good for them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bell times have worked for decades and decades. What has changed is high school workload, the increase in sport practice times, the increase in extra curriculars, and the ever obvious increase in electronics and screens. THESE are the problems and all of those things can be changed for FREE.

Decades and decades? They go back to 1993-94 -- 20 years.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/boe/changing-belltimes.pdf

I went to high school in the 80's and my first bell was 7:04am. And I went on to have a very productive life. I also remember working after school in the mall. Sports would end at 4pm, I would do homework, eat and work 2-3 shifts at the mall working 6-9:30pm. In bed by 11pm and up at 5:45am. On the days I didn't work, I remember napping after sports and before dinner. Or I would fall asleep by 10pm some nights.

I bet no one's little snowflakes even work anymore. They are "so" busy. Parents still pay for everything.

Also, I think everyone forgets that many parents use older siblings for childcare of their youngest. This can not happen if you flip the bell times.

And I went to hs in the 80s (not here) and bell time was 8:25 and we got out at 3:30 - much more civilized. Kids could take a zero period if they wanted, but it wasn't the start of the school. And sports didn't start at 5:30 in the morning...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No prediction here, but I do have to comment.

I am guessing that most of the people who wrote in are parents of elementary school (or younger) children. I am guessing that when your child(ren) get older, your opinions will most likely change.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has clearly stated that due to teenagers natural sleep rhythms, high school should not start before 8:30 (see http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/Let-Them-Sleep-AAP-Recommends-Delaying-Start-Times-of-Middle-and-High-Schools-to-Combat-Teen-Sleep-Deprivation.aspx). This is not because of screens or lax rules at home. Teens naturally fall asleep later and wake up later. This is what there bodies need. The same is not true for younger children. They are at different stages of development and need different considerations. I agree, younger children do need time to play, but that does not trump teenagers need for sleep. It should be considered in tandem. Perhaps more recess time?

Also, take a look at what the American Academy of Pediatrics lists as the side effects of sleep deprivation - depression, obesity, car accidents. And good sleep leads to better grades and an overall improved quality of life.

I understand that we all want what is best for our kids. But, please consider that some day your kids will be teenagers soon. Trust me, you don't want them waiting for the bus at 6:30 am.

Actually it is true for younger children. Early start times are also bad for elementary school children.

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/06/school-start-times.aspx

And late start times are bad for elementary school children's working parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bell times have worked for decades and decades. What has changed is high school workload, the increase in sport practice times, the increase in extra curriculars, and the ever obvious increase in electronics and screens. THESE are the problems and all of those things can be changed for FREE.

Decades and decades? They go back to 1993-94 -- 20 years.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/boe/changing-belltimes.pdf

I went to high school in the 80's and my first bell was 7:04am. And I went on to have a very productive life. I also remember working after school in the mall. Sports would end at 4pm, I would do homework, eat and work 2-3 shifts at the mall working 6-9:30pm. In bed by 11pm and up at 5:45am. On the days I didn't work, I remember napping after sports and before dinner. Or I would fall asleep by 10pm some nights.

I bet no one's little snowflakes even work anymore. They are "so" busy. Parents still pay for everything.

Also, I think everyone forgets that many parents use older siblings for childcare of their youngest. This can not happen if you flip the bell times.

And I went to hs in the 80s (not here) and bell time was 8:25 and we got out at 3:30 - much more civilized. Kids could take a zero period if they wanted, but it wasn't the start of the school. And sports didn't start at 5:30 in the morning...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bell times have worked for decades and decades. What has changed is high school workload, the increase in sport practice times, the increase in extra curriculars, and the ever obvious increase in electronics and screens. THESE are the problems and all of those things can be changed for FREE.

Decades and decades? They go back to 1993-94 -- 20 years.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/boe/changing-belltimes.pdf

I went to high school in the 80's and my first bell was 7:04am. And I went on to have a very productive life. I also remember working after school in the mall. Sports would end at 4pm, I would do homework, eat and work 2-3 shifts at the mall working 6-9:30pm. In bed by 11pm and up at 5:45am. On the days I didn't work, I remember napping after sports and before dinner. Or I would fall asleep by 10pm some nights.

I bet no one's little snowflakes even work anymore. They are "so" busy. Parents still pay for everything.

Also, I think everyone forgets that many parents use older siblings for childcare of their youngest. This can not happen if you flip the bell times.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope bell time will be moved for HS.
My children will be on the bus for magnets, and 6:30 a.m. is way too early.

That was your choice.

Actually it was the BOE's decision to put the magnet programs ai my far away in east county, dozens of miles away from the most qualified kids.
Slick. I like it.

DOZENS of miles?

Well, maybe a dozen miles away, from the most affluent kids.