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

qz.com

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

#31

Post by lemoncucumber »

jimbob45 wrote: 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.

> No, the bus is not always an option, nor is leaving your kid alone at home for any amount of time.

This bill applies to middle and high school kids. If you can't leave your high schooler home alone for any amount of time then you probably have bigger problems to deal with than school start time.

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

#33

Post by war1025 »

School K-12 started at 8:30am where / when I grew up. I assumed that was just the universal time school started everywhere.

I have a feeling we're in for quite a shock when my daughter starts school in a couple years. Our current routine has her waking up sometime between 7:30 and 9.

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

#34

Post by meristem »

Unfortunately, the school systems still rely on one parent at home. It is not just drop off and pick up times: school activities, parent-teacher conferences, etc. For example, in the SF Unified District, school tours for parents of kids entering kindergarten, middle school and high school are during the school hours, mostly in the morning. It is all built around the expectation of a parent at home or a job structure that allows parents to have time off and not be penalized for it. Neither of those are necessarily representative of a family's current reality.

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

#35

Post by JimboOmega »

rz2k wrote: post #18
non-entity wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Los Angeles is far south, even in the context of California; that's not true for San Francisco.

Also the shortest day of the year isn't the day of the latest sunrise - that'd be the day before daylight savings time ends. On that day in San Francisco civil Twilight is at 7:08 and full daylight isn't until 7:35.

If we put aside daylight savings shenanigans, it's still not the same day (because of how the earth's orbit works); it's in fact early January and still 7:25 AM for full sunrise.

I definitely shared the experience (growing up in the mid Atlantic) of catching busses before true sunrise so I could get to a 7:40 AM start in the winter months. I don't remember it being fully dark, though that time in my life is a bit of a haze in no small part because I was completely exhausted all the time.

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

#36

Post by standardUser »

graphememes wrote: post #27
dvlsg wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Nobody ever thinks about the edge cases

Yes they do. Under this law, extracurricular and voluntary "early bird" classes are still allowed before 8am.

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

#37

Post by JimboOmega »

widforss wrote: post #30
rz2k wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Wow, this really gives you perspective. My corresponding times are 8:21 and 9:55. I would give the world for the opportunity of sunlight evenly distributed over the year.

Move to the tropics; there's some variation but it's never very great.

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

#38

Post by newnewpdro »

I used to get up well before the sun rose for private school, it wasn't a big deal, we just went to bed earlier than most.

It was nice to have more time to myself before parents got home from work.

It seems strange for the state to be meddling in this.

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

#39

Post by drblast »

DenisM wrote: post #32

The "early wakeup time makes people groggy" story always looked puzzling to me. I mean, when DST kicks in everyone adjusts in day or two. What prevents one from setting up their own personal DST and getting up earlier still? Certainly not biology.

Biology is a factor because the sun isn't up.

Also there is the desire to do things in the evening, such as a parent having dinner and interacting with their kids before they have to go to bed. Or to get home from work to help them with their homework.

Or let's say as a parent I don't want to have to wake up at 6am because my kids have to wake up that early for school when I don't have to be to work until 9 or 10.

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

#40

Post by grawprog »

awillen wrote: post #2

I didn't even realize schools started before 8... I believe that's when my high school started. Thinking back to the useless slug that I was in the mornings as a teenager, I can't imagine this will do anything but help learning. If only there had been a law saying college classes couldn't start before 11am (or 2pm on Fridays) when I was there...

I used to have both a technical math and a statistics class that started at 7am in college. Fridays if i remember right for the math class. That was always a 'fun' way to start the day.
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