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Fairfax County board approves later school start times

Friday - 10/24/2014, 12:30am  ET


By Michelle Basch

More Reports
Supporters of the start-time proposal made their priorities clear. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)
FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Alarm clocks will be going off later for many high school students around here, starting next school year.

On Thursday night, after years of discussion and debate, the Fairfax County School Board voted to move high school start times from the current 7:20 a.m. to between 8 and 8:10 a.m.

Middle schools will start at 7:30 a.m.; elementary school start times will remain about the same.

"Sleep deprivation among our teens is a public health crisis," said board member Sandy Evans.

The change will cost the school district about $5 million in the first year. "Are there costs of implementing this change? Yes. More buses, more busdrivers. Are those costs worth it? Absolutely," board member Patty Reed said.



Kathy Smith was the only member of the board to vote against the plan: "I have to be a voice, and there's a lot of people out there who don't want this change," she said.

"It's definitely going to change my lifestyle," said 14-year-old Liam Armstrong, a freshman at West Potomac High. "I think it's better that you can have that little extra time. It means a lot."

Melanie Pincus is a 16-year-old sophomore at McLean High. "People fall asleep in class all the time. It's very common. Hopefully that won't be happening as much next year with these later times," she said.

Parent Kathy King said she often fights to get her son, a seventh grader, out of bed.

"(I) pull the covers off and [say] 'Let's go, let's go.' So, I think it's good. So if they get more sleep, it's all good."

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?

Hmm. Sounds like everyone's excited for it.

No high schoolers on the road for my commute! HELL! YEAH!

My tax money well spent!

JuyuD Wrote:
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> No high schoolers on the road for my commute!
> HELL! YEAH!
>
> My tax money well spent!


That means more of a dangerous commute

Fox News Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JuyuD Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No high schoolers on the road for my commute!
> > HELL! YEAH!
> >
> > My tax money well spent!
>
>
> That means more of a dangerous commute

What?

dNGhn Wrote:
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> Fox News Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > JuyuD Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > No high schoolers on the road for my commute!
> > > HELL! YEAH!
> > >
> > > My tax money well spent!
> >
> >
> > That means more of a dangerous commute
>
> What?


With less people on the road you have a greater chance of being in a car that is in an accident or blows a tire or gets stuck in a pothole

Fox News Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dNGhn Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Fox News Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > JuyuD Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > No high schoolers on the road for my
> commute!
> > > > HELL! YEAH!
> > > >
> > > > My tax money well spent!
> > >
> > >
> > > That means more of a dangerous commute
> >
> > What?
>
>
> With less people on the road you have a greater
> chance of being in a car that is in an accident or
> blows a tire or gets stuck in a pothole

Go fuck yourself

This is going to mix very poorly with sports and other extra curricular activities.

Glad to see they moved the time back. Kids need the sleep to be able to function in class. You can't learn shit if you're tired.

All that's happened here is that high-schoolers and middle-schoolers traded places. Now the younger kids start earlier. This is the (phony) logic of SLEEP, Inc. turned back on itself. For the low, low price of $5 million, the goobers now have nothing left to complain about. They are just inveterate whiners of course, so they will go back to the drawing board and think up some new travesty to protest over, but at least there will be an interval of relative calm until the next wave of right-wing nonsense rolls in.

I agree with SLEEP loses, what happens in a year or two when the middle school parents start whining?

And, seriously, Sandy Evans?? "...public health crisis"??? Give me a f-ing break

JuyuD Wrote:
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> No high schoolers on the road for my commute!
> HELL! YEAH!
>
> My tax money well spent!

So now I have to find a way to get to work later? I have to be at by 8. Not to mention all the crazy traffic this going to mess up.

The reason the hours were started in the first place was to not conflict with traffic.

I'll bet the bus driver are pissed at this. Expect all sorts of crazy bus delays at bus stops this year.

Kids in Loudoun start at 9. You know what - they are still tired. Kids still come late to school. In college, my first class would be a 10:45 Chem class. Couldn't wake up for that either.

What is the common demoninator? The time you go to bed, nothing to do with when you wake up. Gimme a break. I can tell you what is impacted...teachers working with students after school. The later you go, the less time they have to help kids after school with daycare pickups at 5. Kids can't play a sport/do an activity and keep a job.

Kudos to Kathy Smith (Sully) for voting against this change. She is the only person that actually listened to her constituents. I just read some of the citizen comments from the "listening" sessions. A casual glance shows that at least 75% of the comments were opposed to any change.

Zzzzzzzzz Wrote:
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> And, seriously, Sandy Evans?? "...public health
> crisis"??? Give me a f-ing break

Most of this is rhetoric designed to suck the wind out of SLEEP's sails.

RydelllRoad Wrote:
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> I just read some of the citizen comments from the
> "listening" sessions. A casual glance shows that at
> least 75% of the comments were opposed to any change.

The purpose of government is to represent the INTERESTS of the people, not their misbegotten bloody OPINIONS.

Another problem is highschool students who care for younger siblings while their parents work and drink coffee at Starbucks.

*VoiceofReason* Wrote:
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> Kids in Loudoun start at 9. You know what - they
> are still tired. Kids still come late to school.
> In college, my first class would be a 10:45 Chem
> class. Couldn't wake up for that either.
>
> What is the common demoninator? The time you go
> to bed, nothing to do with when you wake up.
> Gimme a break. I can tell you what is
> impacted...teachers working with students after
> school. The later you go, the less time they have
> to help kids after school with daycare pickups at
> 5. Kids can't play a sport/do an activity and
> keep a job.

So true, I make my kid go to sleep at a decent hour, he's ready to get to school on time and learn.

All of SLEEP's bs, kids used to have to get up milk the cows, do the chores, etc. and still get to school and learn -- not play around on their phones, the internet, etc. until two in the morning.

Because rolling back start times to the times they started in the 1960's (after sunrise) is the end of the world. Sheesh, what a bunch of complainers. We should make all the adults wake up at 6 am see how they like it. Sure some early risers do - bully for them. But I know the truth no one dares speak - most adults wake up after 6am. Most adults, and the business world know that for the majority of us in this society an 8 - 830am work start is plenty early.

And to all you govt flex-time workers, shift workers, bakers and newspaper deliver people that are up 2,3,4,5 am sod-off. You choose to get up then.

blanche Wrote:
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>
>
> All of SLEEP's bs, kids used to have to get up
> milk the cows, do the chores, etc. and still get
> to school and learn -- not play around on their
> phones, the internet, etc. until two in the
> morning.


Lol milk cows - I dont recall doing that in the suburbs in the 60's. Kids used to have to work in factories 12 hours a day for 25 cents a day seven days a week with no benefits and in dangerous conditions. I guess if your argument is kids have suffered greater adult greed and stupidity in the past I would agree with you. No need to use that as an excuse to do it now though is it.

What a dick!

That was for Mr. Make-All-the-Adults.

Doesn't this mean that they're going to just stay up later? Cancels out the whole plan.

Sleepy McGee Wrote:
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> Doesn't this mean that they're going to just stay
> up later? Cancels out the whole plan.


No

Yes

RydelllRoad Wrote:
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> Kudos to Kathy Smith (Sully) for voting against
> this change. She is the only person that actually
> listened to her constituents. I just read some of
> the citizen comments from the "listening"
> sessions. A casual glance shows that at least 75%
> of the comments were opposed to any change.


I really hate the word "kudos". Who uses that? Soccer moms and feminine guys I guess.

Royce K. Wrote:
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> I really hate the word "kudos". Who uses that?
> Soccer moms and feminine guys I guess.

I don't doubt that any of them could kick your ass. What sort of pathetic weenie gets upset over a word like "kudo"?

My high school student is completely against later HS start times. It
will just push everything later, practices, homework, etc., so net gain in sleep.

Dr. Franklin Wrote:
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> RydelllRoad Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I just read some of the citizen comments from
> the
> > "listening" sessions. A casual glance shows
> that at
> > least 75% of the comments were opposed to any
> change.
>
> The purpose of government is to represent the
> INTERESTS of the people, not their misbegotten
> bloody OPINIONS.

Amen!

Great Idea and its about time.

Yes it will make a difference, more get up and go , more pep, more bright eyes and bushy tails. That can equal better grades

The Sleepy Heads Say Wrote:
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> Great Idea and its about time.
>
> Yes it will make a difference, more get up and go
> , more pep, more bright eyes and bushy tails. That
> can equal better grades


Thank you June Cleaver. Junior and Missy will now be able to attend the colleges of their choice.

matt 703 Wrote:
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> Glad to see they moved the time back. Kids need
> the sleep to be able to function in class. You
> can't learn shit if you're tired.


Eliminate all the extracurricular stuff after school and the kids would have plenty of time to do their homework and be in bed by 10pm. That is all that is expected of them.

MantisMD Wrote:
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> This is going to mix very poorly with sports and other extra curricular activities.<

Yeah, that 9 am start really hurts Stone Bridge's regularly kicking the ass of FCPS teams.

All that means is that I am going to bed 40 minutes later.....grown-ups do not comprehend...

What they should have created was a SPLIT SHIFT....early morning classes and evening classes....all on the same day to accommodate early risers and late risers.

Education needs a shake-up...

Someone please come up with a viable solution..........

Dr. Franklin Wrote:
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> The purpose of government is to represent the
> INTERESTS of the people, not their misbegotten
> bloody OPINIONS.

That's a good point, Doc. But don't try to convince any of these Tea Party, Freedomworks, astroturfed flash-mobbers of a thing like that. They're all of the school that whoever shouts loudest must be right. Remember the Muslim cartoon protesters? Same deal every day and twice on Sundays.

LetsRock Wrote:
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> Eliminate all the extracurricular stuff after
> school and the kids would have plenty of time to
> do their homework and be in bed by 10pm. That is
> all that is expected of them.

Not according to education professionals or the admissions staff at any college or university at all. School isn't supposed to be 16 hours in the mines. Perhaps Your Doofusness should get caught up a little bit on things.

Mmmmmmm Wrote:
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> What they should have created was a SPLIT
> SHIFT....early morning classes and evening
> classes....all on the same day to accommodate
> early risers and late risers.

It's an option that everyone involved is familiar with, but it's extremely expensive, even if the split turned out to be 50-50. Everyone including you needs to remember that public school is about the public, not just about the students. There are a lot of stakeholders involved here and a lot of sometimes conflicting needs and interests that have to be balanced in order to pull this off successfully. No plan is going to be perfect from every vantage point. There will always be give and take involved. There is no way for intransigence to play any role at all in this process.

This just in. High schoolers will not start going to bed an hour later since they can now "sleep in." Net gain? Nothing.

im glad they will start a little later - only 2.5 yrs more of morning stargazing for me and the kids. Ill miss Orion low in the Southeastern sky though...

Einstein High Wrote:
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> This just in. High schoolers will not start
> going to bed an hour later since they can now
> "sleep in." Net gain? Nothing.


Except its a loss - add in the cost of such a stupid idea. I want to know what's really going on? Whose getting a kick back. At least that would show some thinking albeit, not good.

Sleep deprived engineers say sleep a little more or else: