EDITOR: I have some major concerns with the start time of our
elementary schools.
EDITOR:
I have some major concerns with the start time of our elementary schools.
Most adults don’t start their work until 8-8:30 a.m., and that’s usually after several cups of coffee. Even the District Office doesn’t open until 8. Yet our 9- 12-year-old children are expected to be in school at 7:40 a.m. ready to learn, and the youngest children (grades 1-3) are expected 10 minutes later. And we wonder why students are struggling in the public school system.
I do not feel that it is even healthy for our children to be starting school so early. Their bodies are not fully alert, their brain is not yet awake enough to absorb the information being taught at such an early hour, and most probably skip breakfast trying to get out the door in time. Maybe we should start offering them a cup of coffee each morning.
Apparently, the start time is to accommodate the School District’s bus schedule. Huh? How many kids take the bus in comparison to the number of children who attend school? Why doesn’t the school district think about alternating with the middle schools each year? After speaking with the School District, they have no intention of changing the start time for our elementary schools.
What a shame. You try to get your 11- or 12-year old asleep by 8 so they can get the full 10-11 hours sleep that is recommended for children that age. And please, tell me your secret.
I’m a parent disappointed in the Morgan Hill School District.
Trish McGilvery, Morgan Hill
