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California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

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Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#11
post #9

This seems to flagrantly ignore the parents' need to be to work on time. I think the kids will ultimately be the ones suffering because the parents will struggle that much more. No, the bus is not always an option, nor is leaving your kid alone at home for any amount of time.

Given that this will be a job-negotiating concern of literally every parent in California, businesses will just have to adapt to the new normal.

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#12

I wonder how the policy discussions looked when considering the impact on poor parents who have to be at work. Maybe the thinking was that the start time of 7:30-8AM was already too late to save these folks, so 8:30AM would not make them much worse off? Or maybe there are fewer people in these circumstances than I fear?

"Every parent in California" is pretty big negotiating block when it comes to setting standard work hours.

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#13

I wonder how the policy discussions looked when considering the impact on poor parents who have to be at work. Maybe the thinking was that the start time of 7:30-8AM was already too late to save these folks, so 8:30AM would not make them much worse off? Or maybe there are fewer people in these circumstances than I fear?

There will always be people for whom a school start time of X is inconvenient, will there not be? And, while middle- and upper-class people might be more likely to have the standard 9-to-5, there are still plenty that don't (nurses & doctors, for example).

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#14
post #9

This seems to flagrantly ignore the parents' need to be to work on time. I think the kids will ultimately be the ones suffering because the parents will struggle that much more. No, the bus is not always an option, nor is leaving your kid alone at home for any amount of time.

Many schools have programs to drop your kids off early. The same program is there to keep kids late. If kids are getting out of school at 2:00 pm then the kids are either home alone or taking a bus one way or the other. In my opinion, this has very little to do with parents.

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#15
post #9

This seems to flagrantly ignore the parents' need to be to work on time. I think the kids will ultimately be the ones suffering because the parents will struggle that much more. No, the bus is not always an option, nor is leaving your kid alone at home for any amount of time.

Given that this will be a job-negotiating concern of literally every parent in California, businesses will just have to adapt to the new normal.

It's the lower-class parents who can't afford babysitters or who might be divorced that will be the most affected by this. Coincidentally, it's those same parents who have the least room to negotiate in their positions.

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#16

I wonder how the policy discussions looked when considering the impact on poor parents who have to be at work. Maybe the thinking was that the start time of 7:30-8AM was already too late to save these folks, so 8:30AM would not make them much worse off? Or maybe there are fewer people in these circumstances than I fear?

Poor kids and parents are almost always penalised: Remove one and another comes up. These same folks are simply being penalised at a different time of day - morning instead of afternoon. This is solved in a number of ways - the most basic being providing before-school programs for the (especially!) the younger children. This can include things like breakfast too.

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#17
post #8

I wonder how the policy discussions looked when considering the impact on poor parents who have to be at work. Maybe the thinking was that the start time of 7:30-8AM was already too late to save these folks, so 8:30AM would not make them much worse off? Or maybe there are fewer people in these circumstances than I fear?

This law is only for grades 7-12, so most affected kids can get themselves to school, or don't need direct supervision between when parents leave for work and when the bus arrives.

My 7 and 9yo kids start school at 8:50am, and don't get off the bus until 4:30pm. It's ridiculous. They're young and need time off but because the district moved everyone back to make room for the High Schools now elementary kids aren't home until half past 4.

Not enough time for them to play in the afternoons now.

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#18

My high school started at 7am. I also took the bus; which picked up around 6:15am; so I usually woke up around 5:45am during the week. I would often nod off during my first or second period; and routinely took 2-3 hour naps when I got home from school; which screwed up my ability to fall asleep early at night or get much homework done. I sometimes wonder what my academics would have been like if I was actually awake…

I've always been confused by TV shows showing kids leaving for school and it's bright outside with the whole family awake. Growing up, it was dark when we got up for school and just barely sun up (depending on the season still dark) by the time we left to get on the bus.

On the shortest days of the year in Los Angeles[1], there is civil twilight around 6:30am and full daylight before 7am. Maybe the writers, who even have children, live close to the schools they attend.

[1] https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/los-angeles

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#19

My high school started at 7am. I also took the bus; which picked up around 6:15am; so I usually woke up around 5:45am during the week. I would often nod off during my first or second period; and routinely took 2-3 hour naps when I got home from school; which screwed up my ability to fall asleep early at night or get much homework done. I sometimes wonder what my academics would have been like if I was actually awake…

I don’t get how this is supposed to work with sports and other activities. In high school I had water polo/swimming practice mornings at 6:15. Is that now illegal?

Re: California’s new law bans schools from starting before 8am

#20

My high school started at 7am. I also took the bus; which picked up around 6:15am; so I usually woke up around 5:45am during the week. I would often nod off during my first or second period; and routinely took 2-3 hour naps when I got home from school; which screwed up my ability to fall asleep early at night or get much homework done. I sometimes wonder what my academics would have been like if I was actually awake…

I don’t get how this is supposed to work with sports and other activities. In high school I had water polo/swimming practice mornings at 6:15. Is that now illegal?

I suspect the start time is meant only for classes, not extra-curriculars.
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