03/11/2020
I questioned all the new candidates for the Board about their position / thoughts on healthy school hours, especially for secondary students. Below, please find their responses, or lack thereof.
Mark Magni:
Being a secondary educator and parent to a secondary student, I am well aware of the issue young people face with a early start time and would love a later start time. I am committed to working to change the system regionally as well as locally so most/all schools will have a more common schedule for after school events and child care for our youngest students. That is how we will actually get the change that matters and not just discussions.
Jeremy Harkins: no response
Matthew Karrandja:
Hi Nancy, this one is actually an easy response for me but it is probably not going to be popular which is ok . I can personally speak on this. My daughter is a sophomore at Utica and it is a struggle to get her up each day. The reason is that teenagers need more sleep then others. It has been studied and has been proven. I can also attest to it each morning. The solution which is not popular is to have the school day start later. Instead of 7:20, lets make it 8:30. This would push the elementary to go to roughly 5:00 each day. The students would perform better. The problem is that parents count on the high school students to help out with the elementary students after school. This would also increase the demand for SACC for working parents and would be an added cost. As a working dad that has used SACC for 9 years, the elementary kids are much more suited to waking up early and be fine then a high schooler. This is my personal belief based on having 3 kids in UCS.
In fact, the evidence is so compelling that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, the American Sleep Association (ASA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the American Medical Association (AMA) have all released statements encouraging districts to make the transition to later start times. Most recommendations indicate that schools shouldn’t start any earlier than 8:30 a.m.
Andrea Geralds:
Hi Ms. Bush, my thought process on that is teenagers have a lot of stress on them these days and also come home with so much homework, we have an entire generation of sleep deprived anxiety ridden children.
No human functions well like that, and I have been in favor of making the hours for high school the same or nearly the same as primary school. The problem is transportation, since we have a driver shortage anyway
I think we can find ways around that especially for our children who have learning disabilities or mental health issues, that require a certain amount of time to wake up and if needed take medications and still have time to eat, quite a lot of them are disadvantaged by this system and I have no idea why we do it.
Tony Popovski:
Hi Nancy - Thanks for reaching out. I consider myself to have a strong awareness of this topic and understand the challenges associated with finding a consensus in UCS. I've done my homework and I think the key challenge is getting the proper attention and sponsorship around the topic. I'll always be an advocate for our children's safety and health. This topic should be re-energized and made a priority once the new superintendent is hired. Obviously this year has been unique. I understand the committee exists, studies have been done, surveys were completed, and implications were reviewed. I've also seen other districts make changes. I'd be curious to understand what enabled their success - community partnership, financial implications, etc. I commend you on your advocacy on this topic. My view has been from the lens of a elementary school parent, but I continuously think about the impact to secondary students as well. Hopefully I'll be in a position to continue dialogue if elected to the board. I like to look into details and challenge the data. Take care and have a good weekend.
Steve Meyer:
There had been a lot of research on this. Last year I read an article about a school district that actually went to a 4 day week by adding (I think) 45 minutes to the day and 2-3 weeks to the year. I found it intriguing. The early results showed absenteeism decreased (students were getting doctors appointments done on the off day, getting rest so staying healthy, etc.) and learning outcomes were improving (students had a “catch up” day and used it). Teachers loved it too... it gave them a prep day, and time to tend to their personal business. All in all, for a pilot, it showed a lot of promise. I’ve read enough to know the developing teenage brain needs rest, and there’s evidence to suggest they aren’t getting it and school hours are a factor in that. I don’t know what the solution is exactly, but I think it’s interesting and worth looking into. I think more districts will and should be talking about this. Great question!
