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Speak out about high school start times, before 10-05!
The high school start time is on the agenda at next Wednesday's Board of Education meeting (see Action Item 4.07, with Action Items scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m.--http://www.aacps.org/aacps/boe/bo ... 100505.pdf). Testimony will be allowed at the time that item is discussed, and it's essential that we continue to show are concern that this change MUST be made for school year 2006-7. Although the meeting will be during school, now is the time to write letters and get others to do so (and get your parents to testify, if you can't yourself.) If the money isn't budgeted now, we'll be told this spring that "it's too late for next year." How many years have we been told that? Are we all going to wait until we grow up to make this happen?
Please continue to call and write our school board members. Changes like these take a long time, so please speak up! No one is proposing that elementary kids get out of school in the dark or that they begin at 7:17 a.m. (which is when all 12 high schools start). Rather, they are proposing budgeting for enough buses to allow every child in this county to attend school at a safe and productive time. That may require minor adjustments in school hours, but not at the expense of any child's education (by putting more schools at such ridiculously early times.) But the board does have to get thier priorities straight by seeing ours. We have to make them see that this is an investment worth making, more worthwhile perhaps than some of the other items on the budget this year (such as expanding the IB program to yet another high school--also up for consideration next week). Here, high school students begin school at 7:17 a.m. and are out on the streets by 1:55 p.m. each day. Some have to catch the school bus as early as 6:05 a.m. Our high schools have the earliest starting time and earliest release time in the entire state of Maryland, and one of the earliest in the United States! There's got to be something we can do about this.
This is the time to seize the opportunity:[/] Please email all the board members with your thoughts and concerns and get your friends to do so as well. Contact info for the board is below.
BOE CONTACT INFO:
Konrad M. Wayson, President
601 Keith Avenue
Owings, MD 20736
240-508-2335
konrad.wayson@aacps.org
Edward P. Carey
311 Fifth Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21225
410-636-1812 (h)
edward.carey@aacps.org
Tricia Johnson
830 Kings Retreat Drive
Davidsonville, MD 21035
410-798-0362 (h)
tricia.johnson@aacps.org
Michael G. Leahy
712 Monmouth Avenue Drive
Severna Park, MD 21146
410-315-8469
michael.leahy@aacps.org
Enrique M. Melendez
1685 Sam Ryder Rd
Arnold, MD 21012
410-626-7190
Enrique.Melendez@aacps.org
Eugene Peterson
3534 Rippling Way
Laurel, MD 20724
301-776-0863(h)
eugene.peterson@aacps.org
Paul G. Rudolph
437 N. Lakeland Road
Severna Park, MD 21146
410-544-6590 (h)
paul.rudolph@aacps.org
Pallas Snider, Student Member
945 Old County Rd
Severna Park, MD 21146-4830
(410) 975-9759
pallas.snider@aacps.org
Speak out about high school start times, before 10-05!
I am not in Highschool yet. Would you still like me to write to the board members?
middle schoolers influence on high school start time
YES!!!!
in fact, it is even more important for you to write than high schoolers because you have four years of high school ahead of you for this decision to affect you. If you help get a later start time for high schoolers, you wont have to go to school at 7:17 when you are older. Because you have not experienced such an early start, in a letter to the school board you can explain how you feel already in the morning with a middle school start time (how you wouldnt want to start even earlier,) or if you are happy with your start time explain how getting enough sleep helps your performance in school. Thanks for showing an interest in this. Remember, most people don't speak about this topic until they are already being hurt, so it is great that you actually want to help prevent the problem for yourself, instead of waiting until it is too late.
Speak out about high school start times, before 10-05!
OK great. I will defintaly contact them, also I ride the highschool busses 3 days a week because of early morning school activities (band). I have noticed that on days when i do I get up at 5:10 in time to catch the bus, i have trouble paying attention. Should I include this?
Speak out about high school start times, before 10-05!
Of course! Include everything that helps prove an early start time is harmful. Thank you so much for deciding to write, and make sure you send your letter soon because the meeting is this Wednesday!