Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So, a bunch of kids hanging out by the main doors to the school won't cause any work for the staff before hours? They won't horseplay? There won't be any bullying? There won't be any discipline issues during this time?

This is actually what everybody did before elementary school (not in MCPS), when I was growing up. Well, that, and play on the playground. That was normal life. When did it stop being normal life?

It stopped being normal life when parents started suing schools for injuries and other issues that happened on the playground when the kids were hanging out unsupervised in front of the school before it opened.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So, a bunch of kids hanging out by the main doors to the school won't cause any work for the staff before hours? They won't horseplay? There won't be any bullying? There won't be any discipline issues during this time?

This is actually what everybody did before elementary school (not in MCPS), when I was growing up. Well, that, and play on the playground. That was normal life. When did it stop being normal life?

Anonymous wrote:

The key being, "when school is not in session." School is in session for kids whose parents pay for before and after care, but not for everyone. I don't know about your school, but at our school, the aftercare kids play on the playground during aftercare in nice weather (I can't speak to before care, I've never been at the school at that time). The regulation is in part to protect the children enrolled in aftercare, to make sure that they are the only kids playing at the playground, and that other children can't come around to make trouble, and neighborhood weirdos can't start creeping on them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it any different than kids playing on the playground after school (or is that not permitted either)?

Our elementary school does restrict kids playing on the playground while after-care is in session (i.e., when the school is in operation). They won't make a fuss if a parent is there, the kids are behaving properly and and the after-care kids aren't out, but I have seen school employees direct kids off the playground when all of those things aren't true.

Really? That is sad. The school playground should be open for use by the community when school is not in session. There are so few decent non-school playgrounds in most neighborhoods.

The key being, "when school is not in session." School is in session for kids whose parents pay for before and after care, but not for everyone. I don't know about your school, but at our school, the aftercare kids play on the playground during aftercare in nice weather (I can't speak to before care, I've never been at the school at that time). The regulation is in part to protect the children enrolled in aftercare, to make sure that they are the only kids playing at the playground, and that other children can't come around to make trouble, and neighborhood weirdos can't start creeping on them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it any different than kids playing on the playground after school (or is that not permitted either)?

Our elementary school does restrict kids playing on the playground while after-care is in session (i.e., when the school is in operation). They won't make a fuss if a parent is there, the kids are behaving properly and and the after-care kids aren't out, but I have seen school employees direct kids off the playground when all of those things aren't true.

Really? That is sad. The school playground should be open for use by the community when school is not in session. There are so few decent non-school playgrounds in most neighborhoods.

The key being, "when school is not in session." School is in session for kids whose parents pay for before and after care, but not for everyone. I don't know about your school, but at our school, the aftercare kids play on the playground during aftercare in nice weather (I can't speak to before care, I've never been at the school at that time). The regulation is in part to protect the children enrolled in aftercare, to make sure that they are the only kids playing at the playground, and that other children can't come around to make trouble, and neighborhood weirdos can't start creeping on them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

PP here, where I said private, I meant to say public. The local government gets to decide when its various pieces of property are open to the public. It can make different rules for different properties, so there's no conflict between them saying that, for instance, a public park is open at dawn, but a school property, where there are already children inside for before-care, is not open to the public during hours of operation unless those members of the public are permitted inside the school at that time. If school properties were completely open to the public all the time, would you want all the weirdos and unprosecuted sexual offenders allowed to wander the school property, look in the windows, hang out on the playgroup during recess, etc.? I'm sure you wouldn't, you like having regulations on public property when it suits you.

But MCPS doesn't say that.

If you look at the sections on trespassing (which are state law issues, not school board regulation issues), there are clauses that can be used to bar students from doing this.

Anonymous wrote:

So, a bunch of kids hanging out by the main doors to the school won't cause any work for the staff before hours? They won't horseplay? There won't be any bullying? There won't be any discipline issues during this time?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it any different than kids playing on the playground after school (or is that not permitted either)?

Our elementary school does restrict kids playing on the playground while after-care is in session (i.e., when the school is in operation). They won't make a fuss if a parent is there, the kids are behaving properly and and the after-care kids aren't out, but I have seen school employees direct kids off the playground when all of those things aren't true.

Really? That is sad. The school playground should be open for use by the community when school is not in session. There are so few decent non-school playgrounds in most neighborhoods.

Anonymous wrote:I really hate that they changed the bell For a bunch of teenagers who are going to get any more sleep anyway.
But what I hate even more is the bunch of you entitled don't apply to me people who are going to send you kids onto the property when and where they are not permitted, thereby causing problems And wasting the time of the same administration, teachers and staff that you complain about not having enough time to do what you want them to do in the first place. And by October you're going to be on here whining because a vice principal or teacher would have an early morning conference with you because they are too busy looking after kids who have no business being there before the doors open.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:21:02 is exactly right. This is likely to be a big issue this year. I'd also venture a guess that principals have discussed it with each other and have come to the conclusion that they are going to have to be strict about it or suffer the consequences if anything happens to any kid on their school property. It all comes down to the school (principal) trying to avoid liability. I have no desire to ever be in admin and i don't blame them at all for wanting to avoid a lawsuit!

How? Besides telling (and telling, and telling, and telling) people not to do it? Are they going to shove the children off school property? Are they going to call the police to report trespassers? Are they going to call CPS to report child neglect of a 9-year-old standing in front of the school for 15 minutes before the doors open? This is a sincere question.

It sounds like they are going to direct the children to stand on the sidewalk next to the school until the children are "permitted" on school property. Which will require staff to supervise and make sure the kids aren't actually standing on school property. Whereas just letting the kids stand by the door requires no staff effort. Bizarre.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

PP here, where I said private, I meant to say public. The local government gets to decide when its various pieces of property are open to the public. It can make different rules for different properties, so there's no conflict between them saying that, for instance, a public park is open at dawn, but a school property, where there are already children inside for before-care, is not open to the public during hours of operation unless those members of the public are permitted inside the school at that time. If school properties were completely open to the public all the time, would you want all the weirdos and unprosecuted sexual offenders allowed to wander the school property, look in the windows, hang out on the playgroup during recess, etc.? I'm sure you wouldn't, you like having regulations on public property when it suits you.

But MCPS doesn't say that.