Against Research-Aligned Scenario (option b) Regarding Wayzata School Start Time Considerations

The school timings for elementary schools is way too early. This is impacting the kids in several ways - inuding their health & performance...

School district can have other ways to let high school students start late, such as adding school buses.

My kids go to Kimberly elementary school

10 years ago Featured

It's very important that younger kids needs to get enough time to sleep and also time to spend with family . In the research based scenario either of these 2 will not be possible for majority of the families as now a days mostly both parents work and most of them will not be able to reach home as early as 2 PM

Please re consider the decision. It is hard for elementary school kids to stop at the bus stop in winter if you change the time.

Kids needs more 10 hrs of sleep when they are young and also in Minnesota it just too cold to stand out for bus that early.

It's good for younger kids to have late start @ 9:10 am

Little kids need sleep too

I would prefer that the current timings don't change. It becomes too difficult for the kids in winter.

Adding more buses so that kids in all different age ranges can get time to sleep will be the best option. We are well funded school district. Most parents will agree to pay little more tax to let all of our children have the best schedule.

Younger kids need more sleep

Really worst choice, younger kids need more sleep as well. Really hard to get younger kids ready fro school by 6:45 am. my children sleep until 7:00 now. That is their usual sleep hours.

I'm extremely concerned with the lack of consideration the school board has shown regarding the effect of such early start times on elementary school aged kids. Elementary aged children require 10-12 hours of sleep per night. Even considering a 6:30 am wake-up (and it'll be earlier for some depending on bus schedules!), kids would need to be in bed as early as 6:30 pm. How is that feasible at all? Activities for older elementary aged children often do not even start until 8:00 pm and we occasionally are not home until after 10:00 pm. Even younger elementary children often have 6:00 pm activities that last for 2 hours, so they are not even home until after 8:00 pm. There is no way my child can get even 10 hours of sleep under this current proposal. Has the Board considered the effects of this "research aligned" plan on working parents? Daycare costs will increase, home bases will be overfilled, and parents will get less quality time with their elementary aged children. Parents can no longer rely on older children to watch younger siblings after school, as the younger children will be getting home first. The much earlier start times will require a much earlier bedtime, taking away from family time. When a parent can't get home from work until 5:30 and children need to be in bed by as early as 6:30 - how is this a viable plan for working parents? Realistically, most kids will not be in bed by 6:30, or even 7:30. This just won't be possible for most families, due to work schedules and activities. This means that elementary students will not be getting the recommended 10-12 hours of sleep per night, which means they will be sleep deprived. That will have a detrimental affect on learning. And moods. And classroom behavior. I'm also concerned with the later start times for Middle School children. We live in the northwest corner of the district, which means our neighborhood kids have 35-45 minutes from dismissal until home because there are no middle sch

Please consider

I am totally against the petition. I think it's OK for elementary students to get up and go to bed early. I totally support school option B.

In hybrid scenario it states that start time 7:55 for high school students is more aligned with research. This is 25 minutes later than current start. If that helps it's great. However, to make this change, you are going to send 5- 10 years old kids on the bus 2 hours earlier than they are used to now. What about little kids sleep? I have 2 kids in elementary school and I can assure you they get all their morning sleep that they can even with the late school start and they go to sleep on time at night, too. If you considered that all age students benefit from later start would you entertain an idea that all the age kids would be on the same bus with the hub at elementary schools where middle school and high school students would transfer? That would require a lot more buses but for much shorter time.

I suggest you please keep Elementary school start times status quo.

too early

From 9:10am to 7:30am, that’s almost two hours change. Elementary families would need to account for two hours of after-school care while losing two hours of family time in the evening for earlier bedtimes. Parents spend less time with their kids at an age when they need it the most. Education is important but so is Family. Shifting schedules of the high school and elementary school just shifts the problem from adolescent to elementary students. I agree that high school should start later but not the expenses of our youngest students. The school board should find for a better solution.

Adding more buses and emptying more drivers so that kids in all different age ranges can get time to sleep seems like the best option. I hope Wayzata school district takes into consideration, the elementary and high school patents worries.