The FCCPTA Welcomes You to its Website

FCCPTA 2008 School Start Time Survey
"General" Comments Submitted for Question 13

Comments Submitted by Survey Takers Who Took the Survey from July 1 to July 7, 2008

12:18 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I'd love to change school start times, but I don't think it is realistic in this budget crunch.

12:36 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

It is very difficult for my child to fall asleep early even though he wakes up so early. Teens require more sleep and later bedtime and wake up times. It is jus t their natural body rhythm. Because my chid does not get this he is tired and dragging most of the time.

12:47 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I can't believe that with all the research, expert opinion, and most especially my experiences with a high school student (telling me how many students sleep through first period, for instance) that there is any question as to whether or not high schools should begin later.

12:54 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please move the high school start times to a later time. We are considering moving out of Fairfax County because we feel the start time is way too early!!!!

12:54 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Middle and High School students should start later and end later; if there is concern that they won't have as much time after school for homework, then the schools should work to be more efficient so that the students don't have as much homework; the kids should be educated in the school and be done when they leave.

01:28 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

While individual families -- and school activities officials and daycare centers -- have circumstances that might make them oppose a start time change, the fact is that the number ONE single greatest responsibility of FCPS is to do everything possible to support ACADEMIC success in kids, so they can then use the knowledge and skills gained to be successful adults. It is NOT FCPS's responsibility to ensure kids have jobs after school, daycare, sports to suit their individual lifestyles, car rides convenient for certain families, etc. etc. It's a nice add -on that the system cares, but these are NOT its tasks. The scientific fact of t he matter is that middle and high school kids are being cheated of sleep in ways adults would NEVER sanction for themselves! What adult is required to be ON TAS K 6+ hours a day from the minute they walk in the door until the minute they leave, then do two to three more hours of work when they get home? How many adults (with some retail and military and other few exceptions) must be at work and ale rt every day at 7:20 am, lovin' it, then as alert for that work at home after a long day? dvantaged teens who work -- they are my kids' friends (don't be fooled by our et

01:29 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Elementary Schools should be starting earlier, like most of the high schools now, because some parents if not most usualy leave for work around the saem time, and it's easier sending the mtothe bus stop or driving them when you leave for work by solving the need of early morning care for your child, which some parents I know have difficulties with this particular aspect of child supervision before school.

01:47 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Later start times are critical to student health and well-being, and performance at school. My daughter has difficulty getting up for middle school and I am very concerned about her having to go so early for high school, if the bell schedule is not changed. I whole-heartedly support the change in the bell schedule that is proposed.

03:59 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My sons are very tired in the morning, they won't fall asleep until 11:00-12:00 on school nights and it's impossible to wake them up on some school mornings. I think it'd be a great improvement to raise the school start times because even 3 0 minutes to 1 hour greatly improves their focus, attitude, and overall mood towards their education.

06:02 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

If they're tired from getting up too early, you'd think they'd put up less resistance to lights out times that would give them enough sleep. Despite all appearances, I'm not convinced they're not at equilibrium now.

06:12 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please! I teach middle school. We have the later start 8:20 and the kids are S TILL asleep! School at 7:20 is cruel and unusual punishment for kids and teachers!!!!

06:28 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

This is my third child in Fairfax County Schools. All three of my children were early risers as elementary school children & late risers as teens. This is a much welcome change and should benefit the elementary school children as well as the older children.

06:32 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please start the day later for all students, especially teens. This is our third kid going through FCPS, and for all three, the MS-HS years have been a nightmare of dragging exhausted kids out of bed in the dark so they can sit half-conscious in a math class. Enough! Nobody's farming anymore and nobody wants to get up before dawn.

06:35 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

In my opinion, elementary schools should start earlier. I agree with a later st art time for middle/high school students, keeping in mind that they also have af ter school activities that often start by 5-530PM, especially in the winter when it gets dark early.

06:56 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

By starting later, students would learn more, and not fall asleep in class. As an added benefit, juvenile crime, which mostly occurs in the afternoon, would drop off. This is a no-brainer! Schools are for learning, not sleeping.

07:16 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I know that this is not an easy solution. But, my high school student needs more sleep to be productive in school and to be healthy. Please look at Arlington Schools and see how they are doing it. Please make changes and make them now. Thanks for your hard work and for making this a reality.

07:16 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

We need this change. In our area there are no sidewalks or street lights and the children wait for the bus in complete darkness. It is unsafe and needs change .

07:38 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

If would benefit my high school student if she could sleep in until about 8:00 a .m.

07:39 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

When I was a teenager many first-morning classes were choir/music/band/orchestra /pe/home ec/etc. I never remember hard or higher-level classes being the first c lass of the day, which I really think is a big issue with all the AP/IB courselo ads the kids currently carry.

07:41 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Stagger the schedule. Some students could start with 2nd period and end with 7t h. Or at least make this an option at Junior/Senior level. People are too dependent on school providing all transportation. Let's encourage walking, diriving/car pooling/use of public transportation. From what I see, many students could benefit from a little more exercise and a little less dependency.

07:44 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I would love to see middle school and high school start times later than they currently are! My daughter starts middle school in the fall, and we are all dreading the disruptive effect that the early start time will have on our family.

07:50 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I completely support changing the start times so that the high schools start later! Do whatever it takes to make this happen.

07:53 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

An earlier start time for elemantary students will help parents with before school care. High school student taken mutiple AP and IB courses are up late completing homework assignments.

08:01 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I answered that my children that my children eat breakfast at home. Sometimes 2 of my children don't eat b/c they don't get up in time. My oldest started midd le school getting up at 6am. Now she drags herself out of bed at 7am and her ri de arrives at 7:20. She doesn't take the bus so she can sleep the extra few min utes. If FCPS won't allow children to start later then parents should have the flexibility to homeschool or FCPS should provide onfont-weight: normal; line classes for 1st and/or 2 nd period.

08:02 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The health of our students should be a high priority and the current bell schedu le prohibits middle and high school students from getting the sleep they need. I can't tell you how often my children have been sick simply because they need m ore sleep. Changing the bell schedule to later start times for older students w ould also encourage more students to ride the bus, which would conserve fuel and help traffic. It's ridiculous that one of the wealthiest school systems in the country says it can't find the money to fix a problem that impacts every single student and would increase their quality of life exponentially.

08:27 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

This is my last student in school. As with the other two, she leaves for school half asleep, sees MANY fellow students sleeping in class, sees many friends dri ving to school tired, etc.

08:27 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please make a time change for the high school students. It is too early for them to wake up and have to walk to school in the dark. That is why we have so much traffic and accidents trying to get to the school on time. Even 1 to 1.5 hours l ater would be a GREAT IMPROVMENT!

08:31 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Even as an adult I need my sleep. Lack of sleep in this society is posing a lot of health problems. I don't see the need for kids to get out of school so early unless they are underprivilidged and need to work.

08:33 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

School start times should be adjusted for HS students - they are exhausted and v ery sleepy at 6AM.

08:37 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Yes, it would be nice to have my children start school later. But then their sc hedules for sports would be severely effected. So if sports decided to have am practices, it wouldn't matter. Also, Fairfax County is having enough trouble wi th getting and keeping good bus drivers, so how are you going to get more bus dr ivers to cover these schedules and more buses - especially with the gas prices. We will have to give up way too much for our kids to sleep in. Also, doesn't t his prepare the kids for the real world of work? Most jobs realistically start early in the morning. Are our children going to get use to sleeping in and not take jobs because of early start times?

08:43 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I am a Middle school teacher. I see the change in student Biochemistry every yea r between the 7th and 8th grades. MOST of the 1st period 7th graders are wide aw ake and ready to go. MOST of the 8th grade kids in 1st period are fighting to st ay awake.Getting to bed early does not help them - their chemistry keeps them aw ake until their bodies are read to sleep. On the other hand, my 6y/o boy wakes u p at 6am no matter what we do. I know that most of his friends waste the best pa rt of the day (early morning) to be awake and learning, watching TV!

08:43 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

students other than athletes are required to stay after school: theatre students , band students, chorus students, publication students are often the first in th e building and the last to leave each day!!!

08:43 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Elementary school age kids seems to wake earlier easily and would be fine to go to school earlier. Pre-teens and teens need more sleep for their developing bod ies & minds so therefore would benefit from later start times--you can't expect a pre-teen or teenage kid to learn anything from an early class if they're half asleep!

08:44 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

High School students tend to go to bed much later than elementary students. They are growing a lot and need to rest. The early start times limit recovery sleep time for athletes, who often get home very late after games and then have to eat and do homework, just to be up very early the next day. Little kids go to bed e arly and should get up earlier, if anyone has to. By the way, my oldest is in co llege, but many of the questions are specific to "now" situations. We dealt with a lot of those issues I answered "not applicable" for. It was one of the reason s why I transferred my youngest after one year at a school that took us an hour to get to and had my sons waking up at 5:30 every morning. This is not good for kids. Consider all the kids at TJ and their commutes, the kids going to out of d istrict schools for "immersion" or "magnet" schools, etc. The burdens on the kid s time are enormous. They need their sleep. This schedule is insane and I pupil placed my son at a closer school and have driven him to school so he does not ha ve to get up so early and have such long drives home after games, etc., late at night.

08:47 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think another possible solution, is to not have half day mondays in the elemen tary schools. This way all elementary schools can be pushed back 30 minutes eve ry day (all school days would start at the same time & end at the same time). T his would allow all other middle schools & high schools to start 30 minutes late r. This would require no bus changes other than all start 30 minutes later.

08:49 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Our family fully supports a later start time for high schools. We want this to take effect very soon! Our daughter has no choice but to stay up late at night b ecause she takes a rigorous course load, and the homework takes a lot of time. She plays a fall sport. Our son will be playing a sport each season, and he als o has a huge homework load that means he has to stay up late at night. It would be extreemly beneficial for their health and academic performance for high scho ol to start as late as possible. First period is a challenge to keep awake - esp ecially if it's math - the brain just isn't functioning at full speed! Thank you so much for your continued efforts, and we hope all your hard work and persever ence pays off soon. We appreciate all that you've done in your attempt to allow our children more sleep in the mornings,when their biological clocks require it .

08:55 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Although my two high schoolers are motivated to go to school and generally do we ll, they tell me that often they fall asleep in class and that many of their pee rs sleep through class as well. I believe that shifting to later start times wi ll only serve to help them. In my experience with elementary-aged kids, earlier start times will take advantage of the energy they seem to wake up with. Thank you for all your efforts to adjust our system to one that meets the needs of gr owing kids.

08:56 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I've been supporting this effort for yrs. Please follow through w/ this change S OON so that at least one of my children can benefit from the necessary amt. of s leep.

08:58 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I work at home. Later middle and high school times would work better for the hou rs that I work. Can't call customers at 7 AM and kids home before 3, too noisy t o call clients, even when they think they are quiet.

09:00 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Students should adjust their personal sleep requirements to the current school t imes - if they need more sleep, they need to go to bed earlier. I believe teens feel the need to stay up late (texting, Iming, etc.). If the school times are adjusted to a later start time, then jobs and after school activities would have later times, which would just add to a later "bed time".

09:01 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Due to the FCPS bell schedule and the school board's inaction on the matter, I h ave decided to move to Arlington County this month so that my son may complete h is Junior and Senior years in a school system that cares about students' health. Fairgrade is another reason for our move but I will not get even into this iss ue that disadvantages our students!

09:05 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Having followed this for some time, what surprises me is the fact that the healt h issues at the core of the matter have not been treated like other health issue s (i.e., illnesses, communicable diseases, sanitation related conditions). If t hey had, Fairfax would have had later start times some time ago. Yet for some r eason, health has been compromised when it comes to student sleep. That strikes me as very unwise and also starkly inconsistent with the County's usual approac h to health issues.

09:06 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

y up later trying to finish her hw assignments. My Freshman tends to get some o f his hw done at school. He has a visual processing delay and dislikes hw. Wit h or without excess hw, my kids just can't get to sleep at an ealier time. We l imit the amount of sugar, sports drinks, and caffine in the afternoon and evenin g. We also cut the electronic devices off by 8:30 (if possible). Both student s have to get on Blackboard 24/7 for their assignments and to complete chapter a ssessments, so the computers are used after 8:30 PM at times. hild to High School, he could sleep in at least 40 min. longer in the AM. That would make a huge difference. He catches his bus at 6:35 AM and hangs out at sc hool until the first bell rings at 7:20. Teens would be more alert and might be able to absorb more of their lessons if they were able to sleep. I have taug ht both middle & high and notice how sleepy the students are. They can go to be d early, but just lay in bed because they aren't ready to drift off to sleep. Our kids consume caffine to attempt to be more alert. her pay more to transportation to adjust the bell schedules. I'm aware that hi

09:06 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

All the info and statistics are in, the parents want later starts for high schoo l, it has been a success everywhere else- our school board needs to LISTEN TO TH E PEOPLE WHO ELECTED YOU!!!!

09:07 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Trying to get a high schooler in bed before 11:00 pm is near an impossibility. Providing them additional sleep time in the morning would make for a healthier a nd more positive school experience.

09:07 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My son's academic career is rapidly deteriorating because he sleeps in his first and sometimes second period classes.

09:10 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Since their are ALWAYS parents at an elementary school bus stop it is safer duri ng the dark winter months. You can barely see the high school kids in the winter mornings and they are waiting at a busy intersection on Braddock Road (intersec ts with Clubside Lane).

09:11 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I personally think high school students need more sleep, but as I am filling thi s out my child said he doesn't want a later school day. So we differ in our opi nions.

09:13 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Fairfax County needs to catch up with the rest of the United States in terms of the research that is available which shows that teenagers' developing brains nee d more sleep! Make this change now! My 21-year-old suffered through your punishi ng schedule & slept through his 1st period classes. Now my younger 2 daughters a re almost finished with their HS careers and are sleep-deprived 9 months of the year. Complete your research and MAKE the change. You cannot make everyone happy with the change, but do what they did in Minnesota & other parts of the country (including Loudoun County)and change the high school start times today!

09:23 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I am very concerned about high school start times. My son gets up at 5:45 to ca tch the bus at 6:30. He arrives at Westfield 25 minutes before school starts. W hy?

09:23 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

We have had to struggle with late hours at night due to homework and sports; I h ave a sleep-deprived son which affected him this year with grades, moodiness, an d sickness. Later start times makes sense due to a teenager's sleep cycle.

09:25 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

In the 1960's I attended two separate high schools in the midwest and neither st arted at 7:20. One started at 8:30 and the other at 9:00. I participated in ex tracurricular activities, worked after school and graduated at the top of my cla ss, going on to college in an Honors Program. I am an early riser by nature, bu t I could not possibly have done as well in school if I had had to be there at 7 :20 AM and be at a bus stop at 6:30 AM. In fact, I don't know many adults who function well at 7:20 AM. In addition to school starting too early for high sc hool aged children to be successful in school, they are also "out on the street" much too early. As it is, Fairfax County has school start times promote failur e rather than success while the children are in school, and give them the opport unity for getting into mischief when they're out of school too early in the afte rnoon without parental supervision. We live in an area where most mothers NEED to work to help support the family. Yet, Fairfax County Public Schools seem to assume that "mom" will be there at 2:15 in the afternoon to check on what their teenager is doing. I suspect that if the school day were pushed back to a reas onable hour, even the rate of petty crimes in Fairfax County would go down.

09:31 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

As a teacher, I have noticed that the 7:20 a.m. start times for high school stud ents is too early for most students. I have a lot of students sleeping in class during the first block. A later start time of only 30-45 minutes would help al leviate the first block sleepiness, and all students (and teachers) would be mor e alert.

09:32 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I wouldn't mine the elementary schools starting earlier, but the middle and high schools start *too* early. The 6am wake up for a teenager is crazy. My daughter starts school at 7am and my son doesn't start until 9am.

09:32 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

the school start times are ridiculously early, and obviously for the convenience of the "system"

09:33 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Our children are sick, depressed, and overtired. We desperately need later star t time. My kids have been on medication for years because of lack of sleep.

09:37 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My high school student spends many hours doing homework. If homework were limite d then he would go to bed earlier.

09:40 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

With the late start times, you will need a before-school study hall in the cafet eria/library to accommodate parents who must drop kids off before work.

09:40 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My daughter graduated this year, too late for the change, but I have been suppor ting it for years. To start school this early because of buses is ridiculous. She suffered during high school especially with AP course and lots of homework w here she did not go to bed early enough and had to get up so early. Thanks for supporting this program, hope it succeeds.

09:42 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My middle school boy has to take the bus because I have to be home to put my kin dergardner on her bus. But I wish I could drive him because the bus is so early he gets so much less sleep!

09:43 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think kids are very capable of getting up early 6:30am and should get to bed e arlier if it is a problem. Sports practices should be after school and early en ough so they can eat dinner with the family and get home to do homework.

09:45 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I firmly believe that if start times are changed, high schoolers will only stay up later resulting in same sleep deprivation that exists now.

09:47 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The later the children stay in school, then they will be less likely to get in t rouble after school.

09:49 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I would like to see the high school start time moved to a later start time. Kid s are up too late at night doing homework, they don't get enough sleep.

09:52 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My sons will be very upset if the time changes. They like getting out of school early. Going to practice and it still being light and time to do homework. Do n't change it because of parents who can't get the kids to go to bed at a reason able time. Parents of younger kids need the older kids home first. The students are going to be going to college or start working do you think that their bosse s are going to let them sleep in?

09:52 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

A later start for middle schoolers with school day ending at 4:00 - 4:30 is too late to end the school day in my opinion. I think this is true to any age to an extent, but in middle school homework is increased and this would put additional burden on middle school students. A later finish would conflict with homework, dinner and family time and likely compound/interfere with sleep patterns.

09:53 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Later start times for high school would be excellent. Because of all the homewor k, my daughter stays up late most nights, and stays exhausted throughout the wee k. By the weekend, she is very sleep deprived. Please make a change!

10:02 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

High school start times are TOO EARLY! I went to high school near Richmond and our times were opposite of Fairfax Co. Our elementary schools started first and the High School started at 9 am. This is also true in Loudoun Co. PLEASE try to find a way to make this work in Fairfax. Thanks for your efforts.

10:15 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I am a single mother of three. The current schedule made it necessary for me to put my oldest child in private school. I have and continue to consider moving o ut of the Fairfax area because of the sleep deprevation and the significant stre ss it has contibuted to my family. It is a hazard to our well being, mental an d physical health, and our children's ability to learn. How in the world is a zo mbie supposed to function? Well, actually, most of us don't function very well. The frontal lobes of the brain, which have everything to do with executive fun ctioning, are the last to develope and the first to go (you don't ask how parent s funtion under conditions of chronic sleep deprevation). Sleep is critical to this nuerologigical developement. There is no need for further research to prov e these facts. Apparently there are factors that superseed the health and well b eing of our families such as child care, economics and traffic patterns for the commuters. Do what is right and these factors will take their place in prioritie s and work out. Have you looked at how most of the rest of the country manages to put families first by not requiring them to be subjected to such an unnecessa ry stress and burden on top of the challenges that are truly unavoidable? The t

10:17 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My son is involved in football and wrestling at the varsity level. During the s eason, he goes to bed 11:30pm-midnight just to get all his homework done. Then he is up by 5:30am. He gets 6 hrs sleep at best during the season and they prac tice on Saturdays. The later sar time would help tremedously.

10:23 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

This proposal is great - I have a high schooler who drinks coffee and crashes du ring school - he has fallen asleep in 1 or 2 period classes

10:24 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I strongly support a change in the start time for high school and middle school students and hope that a change will be implemented ASAP!

10:27 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

It was difficult to answer the question about whether an 8 a.m. start or 9:30 a. m. start is better for elementary. One seems to early for bus pickups, the other a little too late. The 9 a.m. start for elementary works well for us but if pre ssed to choose, later is better.

10:28 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

This is an admirable concept, but leave it alone. Later starts have far too gre at an impact on after school activities, homework time, dinner schedules (which are already too late as it is if your kids are in sports or other after school a ctivities) and work opportunities. Moving the start later will only result in k ids staying up later and doing homework later when they are more tired, reducing learning. There is no "free time", so schedules will just realign and you end up with the same problem. Teenage kids don't get enough sleep and that's not go ing to change. As for elementary kids starting earlier if you do decide to do t his, some parents will whine about having to get them out earlier, but tough luc k. Get up. Little kids can go to bed early, as they have no real responsibilit ies and don't need to do participate in late running activities as much as teena gers do.

10:28 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Suggestion: Start high schools around 8:30, middle schools around 9:00, and ele mentary schools around 9:30.

10:29 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My kids would never wake up on their own if I was not there to get them up. Cha ngng to a later start time would really impact my work hours I am suppose to be at work by 8am and would not be able to do so if school started later

10:32 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

my children suffer academically, mentally and physically from their lack of slee p

10:35 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

It would be inconvenient to have a big difference between elementary and middle start and end times because I will have one child in each starting next year.

10:36 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Having the high school classes and middle school classes end later in the day wo uld make it extremely difficult for our students to complete homework and partic ipate in sports. They both do a lot of activites after school and the proposed schedul would have a seriously negative impact on their ability to do sports, mu sic lessons, and church activities.

10:36 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Starting the GT program at Bull Run later than it is now would probably decimate the number of kids enrolled. The later return time would absolutely limit afte r school sports or other activities and would impact the already overburdened an d cumbersome kiss and ride font-weight: normal; lines. Dismissal procedures should be included in the survey because in some cases these are extremely inefficient and add significan tly to the total 'commute time.' Assuming that elementary school age children ca n get their exercise and play time prior to the start of the school day does not strike me as reasonable. Skewing the entire bus schedule to accomodate high sch oolers sports schedules appears to place disproportionate emphasis on a small se gment of the school age population. Giving all elementary age students a chance for afternoon sports/learning and ordinary play activities while they are young and able to form good habits more easily seems like it should be a priority in a county like Fairfax.

10:37 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I do not think the system affects sleep patterns. If the child goes to sleep on time, they will recieve their hours of sleep. By ending the school day later, th e highschoolers will not have as much time to do their homework, especially if t hey have a job or a sport after school. Homework is what keeps my child up at ni ght, and she has to juggle with three hours of crew after school each day. It is not the hours of the school day that hurt the sleep pattern, it is the amount o f homework that the kids recieve that keep some of them up until one in the morn ing.

10:45 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My child just graduated from ES. She wil start at Robinson Secondary School next year, hence my answers for "High School" students AND elementary students. At Robinson, grades 7-12 are all on the same schedule.

10:45 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

As a working parent, elementary school start times presented a problem when they were late (our school at 9:05). It necessitated daycare on both ends of the sc hool day. Also late start times puts families in a routine of kids going to bed later. Then when HS starts very early this habit of late bed time is establishe d and hard to change. o we don't have sleep deprevation problems except during testing times and HS sp orts season.

10:51 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Thank you for considering the change. I think my child's grades and disposition would improve if she had more sleep at night during the school week and hope th e changes can be made before the 2008-2009 school year begins.

10:52 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My daughter eats breakfast in the car to save time, sometimes skips a shower to sleep. My son graduated in 2006 and was hardly able to sleep at all. His sports made it tough to study, so he'd stay up until 2 a.m., drag out of bed at 6 unles s he had before-school workouts, then 5. BTW, Divorced: I make $50,000, dad mak es $100,000+. The younger kids are, the earlier they wake up naturally.

10:58 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Most practices are 3 hours but student sometimes waits at school before practice begins.

11:07 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

PLEASE implement the recommended changes AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! The 7:20am star t time for high school students is inhumane. How can the teenagers possibly man age to get by on an average of 5-6 hours of sleep a night during the week (given the demanding homework load they have, the need to get good grades, and the pre ssures to be involved in extracurricular activities so they can 'look good' on c ollege applications)? As in my daughter's case, the demands of the high school schedule have taken a terrible toll on her health. The schedule also teaches te enagers poor work and sleep habits, and deprives them of having a better if not great experience during some of the best, most memorable years of their lives. And then the school system and the parents wonder why the kids are turning to al cohol and drugs on the weekends! Also, an question/observation to consider, bas ed on what my daughter has reported from school - Are the kids who tend to get e nough sleep at night the ones who don't do all the assigned homework (or copy fr om their friends) and who are then penalized by getting poor grades? What a tra de-off! The system is broken and badly needs to be fixed. Thanks to SLEEP for taking the initiative on this!! And now the next item on the FCCPTA agenda shou

11:13 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think that it is about time this question was looked at seriously. Having had one student,who is now in college, the early start time was awful. I was very difficult to get him out of bed and to school on time. When we had a two hour de lay, I had no problem at all. All the studies show that later start times for t eenagers are a good idea. Please adopt the later start times.

11:17 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I have complained about school start times since my oldest--who is now 22--was i n elementary school.

11:26 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Would later start/end times for high schools mean students would be pulled out o f classes in afternoons for travel to games/performances to keep events at the s ame times and still allow for traffic? This would not be the best academic answ er. However, later start times get High School kids at bus stops out of the dar k in the mornings in the winter, a BIG plus.

11:32 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My child walks to the bus stop on most mornings in the dark. People heading to w ork do not see the students at the bus stop and often are driving above the spee d limit. THis is a major safety issue for me.

11:34 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Fairfax county current start hour for highschool is way too early, my kid told m e that almost every student will fall asleep at class from time to time. And he returned home very tired all the time. We strongly ask school board to change th e highschool starttime to later. I like this one in the survey.

11:37 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think if the schools choose a later schedule for HS then the work and other th ings will adjust--it may take a year or so but I believe they will and it would be better for the kids.

11:39 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Personally, I think the start times should remain the same. High school student s should simply go to bed earlier. I know this is not a popular view because so me people think they are biologically incapable of doing so. I disagree and thi nk that it is more of a lifestyle issue than a biological issue (I have two high schoolers). Later high school start times would impact after school sports and jobs. If sports then practiced before school, what change have you accomplishe d? Also, with an earlier start time, parents can make sure their student is up and out to school before they go to work. Many kids won't get up on their own w ithout a parent pushing them. Later times would shift this responsibility to th e student, which isn't always a good thing. I think this is especially true in the case of middle schoolers. Tons of middle schoolers are driven to school, wh ich would not be possible for many working parents with a 9:00 or later start ti me. I think that if you shift start times, the kids will simply shift their bed time to accomodate, with them not really getting any more sleep than before.

11:39 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

It is very difficult for kids to go to HS so early, especially if they have to t ravel far as my daughter does. They end up taking naps in the p.m. and then sta ying up late so it is a vicious cycle of disrupted sleep. push the changing of hours though since I do not want a boundary change to trigg er my younger child into another pyramid!! I'd MUCH rather keep the times as is!

11:41 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I know for a fact that my son is exhausted during his first few periods of the d ay, and probably doesn't retain as much information. He takes a nap after schoo l in order to work on HOMEWORK, which takes up a ridiculous amount of time and c auses him to sray up too late. (I think the homework policy should also be over hauled.)

11:47 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

No. I don't think this is good for the students who participate in sports and af ter school activities.I feel the Best start time for elementary schools would be 8am. But Start time for High schools students should be remain same (7.30am). B ecause if high schools starts late, students will be coming home later than now after sports pratices. Which means they have less time in the nights to complete their home work.

11:58 AM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I like the idea of later start times for high school students. Middle school I a m neutral about and elementary schools could easily start later (many do).

12:01 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I hope start times are later by the time my 4th grader gets to middle school. O therwise, I think she will not function too well in early hours. Might have to consider private school with later start time.

12:02 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Middle school time should start 30 minutes earlier if possible. However, later starting times for high school and middle school is a great idea. They need a l ittle more sleep.

12:25 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

It is not just high school sports that students do after school. Sometimes they are in a play or have chorus rehearsal.

12:28 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

As a High schoo teacher, students would greatly benefit from later start times. However, if this means the (High school) teachers must still be in the building by 7 am, then there is still the conflict of getting the elementary school age child to school without leaving them home alone.

12:33 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

School should start earlier for the elementary kids and a little later for high school kids

12:50 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I am very much in favor of later high school start times because older kids will be healthier if they get more sleep. They tend to go to bed later and rise lat er. Younger children tend to wake up early and go to bed early, so as that is t heir natural inclination, the may as well start school earliest.

12:52 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My son recently admitted to me that he regularly falls asleep during one or more classes in school. I was admittedly surprised and although have been following your progress with SleepIn I now know how important it is to see these changes through. Even small steps are improvement. Thanks for everything.

12:53 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please follow ALL task force recommendations. We must not be constrained by wha t we've always done or FCPS transportation office inefficiency. Make more stude nts WALK and institute a good crossing guard program. Get the county government involved by passing a law/ordinance that there must be sidewalks on at least on e side of the road on all roads within 1.5 miles of a school. This would enable more walking and decrease the need for buses and all their costs!!!!!!

12:54 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The current start times for high school students in Fairfax County are ridiculou sly early. My children have often commented on the fact that they have trouble staying awake in their first period classes. I'm sure that my children would le arn more if school started later.

12:59 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My child will be starting high school next year. I believe the 6:30 bus time is way too early!!! I think the kids should be able to sleep until 7:00 am to fun ction well in school.

01:00 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think starting at a later time is a good idea for all levels of schools. Endi ng late for the elementary school would work well for my family since my husband and I both work and it would be difficult to pick up our elementary child from the bus stop before 4pm.

01:00 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I am completely in favor of this change. I feel that the later start times woul d be an enormous benefit to our children's cognitive health. My daughter tells me how hard it is for her and her classmates to be alert, during school, particu larly in the first few periods. I have also heard from several teachers about h ow hard it is to keep the students attention during the first few hours of the s chool day. I am extremely excited to hear that the Fairfax County School Board i s considering this change that, I belive, would have such a dramatic positive im pact on the health of our children!

01:03 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please help these kids out and start school a little later. All the other count ies that have done so cannot be wrong - they made these changes for a reason and it is working beautifully. Please help us out and do the right thing. Thank y ou. Cheri Panagiotopoulos

01:14 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I do not like the early start times, BUT it would be impossible to fit in after school study sessions and extra curricular activities and/ or work if they were to get out later in the day. To me this is a no win situation.

01:19 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I know the transportation will be very hard to change and the change would affec t after school events but I think the kids would benefit from getting more sleep .

01:22 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The time for talk and surveys is over, teens OBVIOUSLY need much more sleep, ple ase take action now for later start times for middle/high school. Thank you

01:26 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My children continue to have problems funtioning due to lack of sleep during sch ool days. By the end of each school week, my children are often too exhausted t o even make their first class. Towards the end of each quarter, each of my chid ren have taken seriously ill. Each of my children have missed the majority of t he last week of a quarter due to illness,which has been associated with their la ck of sleep rendering them more vulnerable to illnessess. High school start tim es must be later to allow these children to perform at their best.

01:28 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

As I said above, any thing later would be better than the current situation. Whe n my kids were in elementary school, they were up early... but had to wait until 9:15 to go to school! Now I have to drag my middle schooler out of bed at 6:30 to get a 6:45 bus. And it will be worse next year in high school (Marshall) when the bus comes even earlier. I may consider forming a carpool so he doesn't have to get up so early, even though that would be inconvenient. Also, I feel that h igh school/middle school kids get home from school too early -- esp. middle scho ol where there are no extra curricular sports to keep them occupied after school . That poses a problem in that I don't want to leave him home for too long unatt ended, so I have to adjust my work schedule. Once he's in high school, he will have marching band or sports 3 times a week, which will keep him busy.

01:34 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I know that many people talk about being in favor of a change to later start tim es for MS and HS kids; however, I think that those of us for whom the early time s are not a problem may be the silent majority. A change would affect our child 's sports practice, as he is on the crew team and needs time to get to the river and practice. Any later and I think it would be very problematic, yet a before -school practice is not feasible for this sport.

01:34 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think it would be wonderful to have everyone start around 8:00. If that is no t possible, I honestly think earlier is better than later. By later the 9;20 st art would really upset me and our family. You are using "data" but a lot of ane cdotal information. What about the ice skaters, ice hockey players, and swimmer s who practise in the morning before school. From my personal experience these kids are good students and are better focused in the mornings. There is data ou t there to show regular exercise will work to regulate your internal clock. I a lso think a degree of self-discipfont-weight: normal; line is at work here.

01:51 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The only problem I would have with starting later is that my daughter (in high s chool) would come back later. Espicially with sports and other after school acti vities she has. Even though it may sometimes be hard to wake up, the current sch edule seems most logical.

01:53 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please be careful not to hurt our elementary students by making them start too e arly. I would rather pay a little more taxes to have buses run at the same time then to have exhausted and depressed children. That is a lot more expensive an d concerning.

01:54 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The current bell schedule is acceptable, but having to ride a school bus for ove r an hour, getting on the bus before 6:00am is not acceptable. The real issue i s figuring out how to better manage the transportation resources so that bus rid es are shorter.

02:10 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

wd. like to see high schools start later; my 16-yr.old gets a lot of upper respi ratory illnesses during the school year. Her pediatrician agreed with me that if kids could get more sleep at night (as well as better nutrition), there would b e a lot of kids getting less sick and for shorter time periods.

02:15 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I definitely think high school should start later. I agree with the information about sleeping patters for adolescents. And, kids can get into a lot more "tro uble" from 3-6 pm than they can from 7-10 am. I would support high school start ing as late as 10 am -- have sports practices before school.

02:21 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I have seen all three of my children struggle with sleep deprivation while balan cing challenging course work (multiple AP courses) and participating in school c horal and musical groups. Their lack of sleep has made them less attentive and effective learners, as well as making them more edgy, emotional, and less able t o handle stress that they are just learning to deal with as young adults. The e arly start time in high schools only makes this more difficult for them to succe ed at their primarily objective at this point in their lives.

02:30 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Kids need more sleep. With the amount of homework placed on them, especially GT and Honors class students plus the emphasis on extra-curricular activities, they are not getting the required amount!

02:31 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

This little bit of time change would positively impact my family, my child is al ready having a hard time going to bed early and is always late in the morning ge tting up.

02:35 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Middle school at Lake Braddock was absolutely harder for my son because he had t o arise at 5:45 a.m. in order to catch the school bus. I set an early bed time ( 9pm) and was consistent in applying it, but it was still exceptionally difficult to wake him every morning. He complained bitterly about the hour he was awaken ed and made to go to school. His teachers said he acted tired in class, particu larly the first two periods of the school day.

02:38 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Between sports and the work load of AP/Honors courses my kids get about 5-6 hour s sleep during the week then make it up on weekends often sleeping until 1-2 in the afternoon. Sports practices need to be limited to 3 hours as well as school starting later.

02:49 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I wish all schools could start later, but I realize they must share the buses an d therefore this is impossible. I would prefer that the younger children start earlier and the oldest children start last.

02:53 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I would like my child's schedule to remain the way it is. She participatesin cr ew and if practices were changes to morning she would have to drive in rush hour to and from the marina. I believe the stress of getting to school on time would cause her to drive unsafely.

03:04 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I would welcome a later school starting time especially for high school students . I know for a fact that my sons sleep during class and don't concentrate well especially in their earlier classes. It's past time for Fairfax county to recog nize the impact that early start times have on high school students and to do so mething to correct it.

03:13 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think whatever the FCPS can do to allow high schoolers to get more sleep will be a welcomed adjustment to the school schedule.

03:15 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Later start times for high school students are good both for their sleep schedul es, and the amount of time that they are left with no supervision.

03:16 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I recommend leaving the schedule as it is. Having four children, three being te enagers (two with jobs), all playing afterschool sports, I feel it will not work to adjust the high school time in particular as there is not enough field time as it is. Even more importantly, if parents would insist on a time necessary fo r kids to head off to bed, without electronics, teens would more easily fall asl eep. I feel teenagers are now falling asleep later as they're allowed to bring cell phones or other electronic devices in their rooms at night and are not able to wind down and 'disconnect', therefore not allowing the normal wind down time needed to fall asleep. Along with that, taking 'naps' afterschool will certain ly ruin a teenage sleep cycle. Staying active in sports/band/work afterschool, dinner, homework and a reasonable 'bed time' usually works - it has in my family . Thanks for allowing the comments as I've always wanted to express this, but w asn't sure who to express this to that might make a difference. Furthermore, un related to start times due to teen sleep, I recommend transportation abolish the practice of transporting children in optional programs, i.e. GT, and make it ne cessary for parents to provide transportation as they do so in attending other o

03:37 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Middle and High schoolers MUST be given later start times as health and work apt itudes clearly suffer when they lack sleep and have to rise and start classes so early.

03:43 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

On question #7, I still think 8:00 is still early for elementary kids. Even jus t 15-20 min. makes a big difference. Waking an elem. kid up at 6:30 is way too early.

03:43 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I am speaking as an elementary school teacher and a parent of two children. You nger children get up early and are ready to flourish. Most principals must agre e because most insist on Reading instruction first thing. As the day goes on, t he children run out of steam. longer. not productive to any age group. It gets in the way of homework/playtime/ and after school activities. ondays- make all the school days the same amount of time- and that way Tuesday t hrough Friday we don't have the extra half hour tacked onto the end of the day.

04:03 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My main concern is if my three kids sleighted for Hayfield Secondary go on diffe rent bell schedules. We had a recent attack and other reports of incidents in t he neighborhood. My kids walk and walk together to school and after if possible (depends on activities). In the winter, it gets dark and I definitely want my d aughter and sons walking together for many reason, including safety. It would be very hard if the middle schooler (my youngest) were going to the SAME facility but on a DIFFERENT bell schedule. Then, I cannot rely on my family to help each other. Since I am a single mother, I have to work and I rely on my older kids to help out with the younger. It doesn't matter to me when the bell is so much as that they are on the same schedule (since as a secondary school it is the same facility).

04:07 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

School start time should take into acccount the schedule of working parents and the demographics in general.

04:13 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I totally support SLEEP's efforts to change start times for middle and high scho ol students and hope that this change is in effect by the time my kids are older ! I am discouraged by the very early start times for current high schoolers, who are definitely not getting enough sleep. I know that in other parts of the coun try, when high schoolers' start times are made later, the students do better. I hope that this can be worked out in Fairfax County. Thank you!

04:39 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My son used to miss class because nobody was home to wake him up that early. Now I drop him off before I go to work which is way to early in my opinion. He freq uently falls asleep in class. My son has always been a night owl and can not fal l asleep early even if he is laying in bed doing nothing.

04:42 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

a later start time would SERIOUSLY affect any "extra" "8th Period" classes i.e. Show Choir/Jazz Ensemble. My high schooler would DEFINITELY NOT like the later s tart.

04:47 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

It seems that teenagers need the later start times because it is more difficult for them to go to sleep early at night; with homework, sports practice, and soci al lifes, they are naturally up late. It is easier for elementary school kids t o go to sleep early at night and get up a little earlier since their bedtime is not as dependant on school requirements and extracurricular activities.

09:17 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please don't change the high school start times. That would mean that sports pr actices start later and our child would need to drop out of at least one of his sports seasons.

09:20 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Some kids do drama which also has after school practices of a few hours per day. Please consider rewording to reflect all extra-curriculars, drama, band, orche stra, and sports all have significant time commitments.

09:24 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I hope HS students will be accommodated, that is, that schedules will be tweaked so they can get more sleep. It's a health issue.

09:27 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think that if we change the school hours so that school begins earlier, than s tudents will not have enought time in the afternoon for homework, sports practic e, and other activities that they may participate in.

09:55 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I am concerned that if school starts later the kids will be up later trying to g et homework done after activities and they will be getting as much sleep as they do now. The only way for them to get more sleep is for them to have fewer acti vities and in this day and age those activities seem to be what get them into co llege just as much as their grades do. I think that it is a parents responsibil ity to try to limit what they get involved with, to make sure they are home at a resonable time, and instill in them the value of hard work and sleep. A day is still only 24hrs. long and I don't see the point in changing things if there is no benifit.

12:55 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I think the middle and high schools start much too early. Their first two perio ds are spent in a daze. Since elementary school students usually rise earlier, I think they should go to school earlier. High school students have many things to do in the evenings and they have a lot more homework.

01:37 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Later start times are essential for the middle school and high school ages. I th ink the elementary age can adjust to any times and childcare issues just change from one time to another in that age group. ASACC programs are avasilable etc. The later start times for the older kids also allows for less time for them to get in trouble before parents get home from work. I hope these changes happen A SAP and we do not continue a prolonged debate about the details. Nothing will w ork for everyone, but everyone who is being objective and honest has to acknowle dge that later start times for teenagers is essential to promoting mental health and learning.

04:48 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

High schoolers have trouble going to bed early to accommodate an early bus sched ule. School Buses picking them up before 7am is not fair or reasonable.

04:50 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Limiting sports practice to two hours per afternoon would be great. Make the co aches make the best use of the time they have the athletes....who are students f irst. We started driving our daughter to school because she was waiting at scho ol for at least 45 minutes for classes to start. I'd rather she ride the bus an d save on our gas costs. But her ability to sleep an extra 30 minutes outweighe d our inconvenience during the past school year. Since we are paying for the bus es' gas anyway, with our taxes, I would like for more people to realize the conv enience of bus transportation.....and they might if the bus didn't come through our neighborhood so early.Our daughter belongs to one before-school group that m eets one morning a week.

04:56 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

What about after school activities? These will all have a later start time as w ell, even for elementary school. You'll also be putting more cars on the road d uring rush hour due to later start times and going to after school activities la ter. What will happen to all of the out door sports that will lose valueable da y light hours? I know the priority is education, but the reality is most kids e ither work or have some kind of activity. It's a long day for every one no mat ter when you start school. I don't think kids will get more sleep. They'll be going to bed later and waking up later. All schdueles will just be later. If t hat's the objective then this plan appears to meet it.

04:57 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

High school and middle school students should begin their day later and come hom e later so that they are not at home, unsupervised, in the afternoon. Elementar y students have SACC, so there is a built-in supervisory system for them, no mat ter when school begins or ends.

04:57 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Do not think the start time for highschool is that bad, getting out early enable s them time to get all homework done, esp if they take a heavy course load and w ant to work part time. I think getting out early gives them more options.

04:58 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My child has asthma and often needs nebulization therapy in the mornings before school. This takes at least 20 minutes. Rather than wake up even earlier and lo se even more sleep, she is often late for her first period class.

05:04 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think that the high school students would just stay up later if they start ear lier. I prefer them coming home earlier when they can take a nap. This will no t change my kids' sleep habits or the amount of sleep they will get.

05:06 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My daughter is naturally an early riser but even she struggles with the start ti me. We need to leave about 6:50 am to get to school on time, and it makes a stre ssful start to our day.

05:07 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Our 2 older ones are in college now, but would have really done better if they h ad a chance to sleep in a bit more. WTWoodson had an early start time and our la st child will be there in one year.

05:17 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I think the idea of allowing HS students to sleep in a bit later is good. Gener ally speaking they go to bed later than the elementary school kids and don't get the sleep they require.

05:28 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Starting the high school day later therefore ending it later would eliminate som e of the unproductive hanging around time after school

05:31 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My daughter has been exhausted these first two years of high school as was my tw o boys all fours years of high school. Please consider changing the start times to a more reasonable time! Thank you.

06:05 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Elem school start times are fine as is. This is our 1st middle schooler, but th e older the child, the more trouble they have getting up in the mornings.

06:18 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

academic achievement MUST be given priority over sports or jobs. If a child need s more sleep to do better academically -- that fact alone should more than outw eight sports schedules or after school job issues. Low achieving kids affect the entire school in terms of overall school reputation, ratings, AYP, etc.

06:40 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Later high school starting times would be a great advantage for high school stud ents because it would improve their physical and mental well-being and make them more alert during the school day. The average high school student tends to fall asleep later and want to sleep later in the morning. This wouldn't affect eleme ntary school students nearly as much, because many young children rise early in the morning anyway.

06:41 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

we need later school start times for middle and high school students. most stude nts are either asleep or very sleepy during their 1st block. This impedes learn ing. they do not get enough sleep and this impairs health and learning. younger students are awake earlier by nature and should go to school earlier. Older ki ds should be in school later and get more sleep. thanks.

07:03 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Having HS start at 7:20 AM goes against all common sense. My son cannot seem to fall asleep before 11 PM, and gets up at 5:50 AM. He regularly naps in the eve nings, which really screws up his sleep pattern even more. He is very irritable when he does not get enought sleep and does not perform well in school. He is much better on weekends when he gets to sleep in later.

07:05 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Elementary children need to get home by 3:30 to accommodate other scheduled acti vities and stil have time for homework and family.

07:07 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My second child is now in HS. Both of my children have said that while they wou ld like to sleep a little more, they both like the schedule as it is because wit h band and sports after school, practices would go later than they all ready do. They like getting home earlier than 3:00 on days when they don't have practices . When my kids were in elementary school, we had one year when the school start ed at 9:05 and ended close to 4. It was horrible for down time and activities. I think kids adapt to the existing times more than we give them credit for!

07:16 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

High schoolers definitely need a later start time as most every high school stud ent I know seems to have a rhythm geared that way, not to mention they usually e nd up going to bed so much later b/c of sports, homework and sometimes work.

07:37 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

It would be ideal as most of the high school kids sleep through their classes as it is so early and often with sprots and homework they are up way late and gett ing just hours of sleep it is a really ghastly schedule and does not in any way support our kids doing their best.

07:37 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

It is not only start times ,but end times.Teens are not getting enough sleep and troubled unsupervised teens are in more trouble roaming the streets in the midd le of the afternoon.There are midday parties with alcohol and narcotics,there is sexual romping in the parks and on the bike trails. Lack of sleep,lack of judge ment ,lack of parental presence( when teens are home too early too long at the c lose of the day. 4:15 would be a good time for highschool students to arrive hom e after the last school day resposibility.

08:03 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Particularly with high school students - many are involved with extra curricular activities, sports and/or a job. They are also given absurd amounts of homework in most cases. They tend to stay up later to accommodate these issues, so the f act that they are required to be at school by 7:20 is a detriment to their well- being. It is no wonder a large number of students sleep through classes.

08:13 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Only concern is that after school activites would end later. Which means dinner later, and then homework later. If homework is later, parents may go to sleep way before child does.

08:16 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Regarding question #11, I think the school system should limit the number of day s per week of sports practice to a max. of four days/week.

08:19 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I drive my high school kids because the bus comes too early. With increased home work and more adult sleep patterns (i.e., they won't go to bed at 9:30PM), schoo l MUST start later. Elementary school, if anything, can start earlier. Young ki ds are up earlier anyway. Both parents in our family have full-time jobs and do not have help/nanny.

08:27 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

I like the high school early start times . I've had 2 daughters go all the way t hrough the system & they had no problems . If the students have an early start t ime they are not out as late on weeknights after sports and other after school a ctivities . If they start later they will just stay up later so they will still have the lack of sleep issue.

08:32 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

PLEASE, Please help change from the early morning, dark start time for high scho olers. These kids are tired and not absorbing all the material they could be. Th e teachers work hard preparing material and using styles to help capture their a ttention, let's give them a fighting chance.

08:34 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

its unreasonable to send teenagers to school so early in the morning, we NEED la ter start times

08:48 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

My daughter wakes up at 4:30 am to get on the 6:10 am bus. I think her sleep dep rivation has lead to suffering emotional and psychological problems.

10:01 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Eliminating painfully-early start times for high school and secondary school stu dents would enhance student performance and restore some balance to home-life. Six a.m. bus schedules are not favored by anyone!

10:04 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Please change the schedules. Our kids do not need the stress put on them by lon ger days that start in the dark and end up with stressed out parents driving the m to activities like crazy people! Stop the early Monday releases and go back t o the normal weeks we all enjoyed growing up. That would shorten the hours in s chool per day and allow all our children to enjoy after school activities in a f un and calm environment.

10:08 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Thank you so much for doing all this work to see what best serves the students a nd their education. I appreciate it!

10:11 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

6:30 is too early and unsafe on the dark roads. Our bus stop is on Prosperity a nd very busy in the mornings. I also believe that the older students have too m uch time alone in the afternoons with no adult supervision. Starting the elemen tary schools early may eleviate the need for AM SACC therefore saving the county money.

10:37 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

medical studies have proven that teenagers' circadian sleep rythm drives them to 1) need more sleep and 2) go to sleep later and wake up later. The school bell s should mirror this need.

11:53 PM Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Thank you for FINALLY taking this issue seriously. Now would you please focus o n the FAIRGRADE issue too and the overbloated FCPS budget?!!

12:19 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

There is no easy solution to adjusting the start times. Later high school start and end times results in after school activities ending later, completion of hom ework is later and therefore, the bedtime is later.

05:40 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Thank you so much for all your hard work - I wish my teenager had a late start t ime while she was in elementary and middle school years - her schools always sta rted early (elementary at 8 and middle at 7:25) but she was the kid who always n eeded to work late (on homework, believe it or not) and was always in need of re st in the morning. It would help whole lot if her high school start time become s 8:35!

06:39 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Too late for us... We just graduated out youngest. That will probably be the im petus for a positive change... We tend to miss the boat on improvements :(

07:49 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Later start time for high school students will be better. My daughters internal "clock" is out of synch with the current start time. She tries to go to bed ea rlier, but then just lies there awake. She naturally falls asleep later. She i s very involved in sports, so even though many times her body is tired from work outs, her mind is not sleepy. Then mornings are tough, because getting up at 6 :00 or 6:15 is early and sometimes she struggles through her first period class. Plus with school start times so early, the lunches are early too. That messes up her food schedule. She is starving by (sport) practice time after school, b ut can't eat much before practice. The has to have food on the way home (5:00is h) and then isn't hungry for dinner. Not healthy!!

07:56 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Thank you for your hard work regarding this issue. High school start times need to change. I have a student at a GT middle school and am willing to have his bus schedule changed to pick him up at our local elementary school if necessary. Th ese early start times are insane.

08:42 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

what about plays and study groups and late buses--very important for 7,8,9,10th grades when they do not yet drive.

08:57 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

It is ridiculous to consider changing the start times. Students who have activit ies such as my daughters dance 20 hours a week after school and on Saturday. Cha nging the start times would curtail the time my kids have to do homework and par ticipate in activities. Kids have the same responsibilities .They would just go to bed even later and would have to find time to do their homework after midnigh t. They will muddle through with the current schedule. It mimics the real world.

09:02 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

The High Schools start times are ridiculosly early. Buses are so early that I se e student in the morning (especially during winters in the dark)leaning against the bus stop pole as if they are sleeping. They obviously haven't had enough sl eep even before they start their school day. How does a teacher expect a studen t to be alert when the student is already exhausted even before he/she walks int o the school. Due to not getting enough sleep students are constantly prone to get sick and miss school days.

09:12 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I have only one elementary school aged child. We drive her to school so she can sleep later. She stays home with a middle school & high school student some af ternoons. I would be okay with her being home for 20-30 minutes alone in the af ternoon while waiting for the older kids to get home - our neighbors are home an yway. The older kids definitely need a later start time - as will our daughter when she reaches that age.

09:13 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

It's a well-known fact that teenagers' sleeping habits mean going to bed later a nd sleeping later in the morning. My daughter's pediatrician also said that a t eenager needs as much sleep as a young child because their brain is rapidly chan ging and they need the rest. I would support a later starting time for high sch ool students. It's being done in Loudoun County so I know it's possible!

09:16 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Buses at 6:30 for teens is too hard and need to recognize the chnages that their minds and bodies are going through during puberty

09:24 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

A late start and sports would have some students arriving home very late on meet nights. Fairfax County does not have an indoor track so students are bused out of county to participate in their events. A return time of 11 pm is not unheard of. I am very opposed to a late start as it seems disruptive to evening family a nd homework time for those in sports and other extracurricular activities.

09:27 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I support the proposed change with all school times starting later. Test after test supports kids needing more sleep in order to do better in school. An extra 40 minutes in the morning is a huge help in aiding our children to do better. I have a GT child enrolled in Spring Hill Elem. and the late time start makes mo re sense for all involved at any grade level. Thanking you in advance for your consideration!

09:38 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

PLEASE let these kids be the best they can be by getting more sleep. These early start times are crazy and make no sense.

09:49 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I would not support any movement of the start time for high schools. Very hard f or parents to schedule their work schedules later and then to allow students to complete homework and sports activities by leaving school later would be a hards hip on everyone. Strongly do not support change of hours for high schools!

10:00 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

My children are currently at Franklin Shermen ES and we think it's a great schoo l. Unfortunately they have to be in morning and afternoon SACC due to the late starting time (9:00 a.m.) and the late bus schedule. I cannot stay with them at home until the bus comes due to my work requirements. An early school start ti me would prevent the necessity of the kids being in SACC both mornings and after noons. I think kids learn better in the morning than in the afternoon after lun ch. They are more alert and attentive and become less interested as the day dra gs on. Longer free time in the afternoon allows for more homework time and the ability to participate in extracurricular activities. I believe a shorter after noon for homework is what results in late night studying and less sleep. Gettin g up early in the morning creates a feel for "real life" in the sense that it in stills discipfont-weight: normal; line to rise early and get to work (in the school sense) which is w hat is demanded of these kids when they get jobs. Better to instill that from a n age early on. Thanks for the opportunity to express my opinion on this topic.

10:17 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I found out that High schoolers can not get to sleep earlier than 11:00PM.At an age that they go through so many changes, not enough sleep is hurting them too m uch. Even their mood would change if they had more sleep. Please change the tim e to a later time. thank you.

10:24 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

High School students will be negatively impacted if they get out of school later than the current schedule. The problem is the bus schedule. A student is pick ed up for the bus at 6:00am for a 7:20 start time, and the drive is only 10 mins . That is why so many families drive their students to school, the students get an extra 30 mins of sleep time.

10:26 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

yes for high schoolars it's better to have late start because they do most of th e stuff at night.

10:46 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

We would very much support any schedule where the middle school students and hig h school students can start at a much more reasonnable time as they grow older t hey go to bed much much later. thank you for listening to us.

10:56 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

High school and middle school should definitely start later - so long as adequat e time is allowed for out-of-school activities and homework afterwards. MIDDLE S CHOOLS NEED TO CHANGE THEIR SCHEDULES TO ALTERNATE DAY SCHEDULES LIKE HIGH SCHOO L OTHERWISE MS STUDENTS WILL HAVE LITTLE TIME TO COMPLETE 7 LOTS OF HOMEWORK BEF ORE THE FOLLOWING DAY. This would curtail after-school activities, if not elimin ate the opportunity to participate in anything.

11:10 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

The early Robinson start times have been a real problem for our boys. We are on ly minutes from the HS, so I can't imagine having to catch a bus at 6 AM. hing has to be done to provide reasonable start times. ould not be a driving priority in setting start times. hould go the full day on Mondays, if that is causing bus problems. for special routes (GT schools, TJ HS, students attending schools in other areas for special programs (e.g. language immersion)) should be consolidated to raise bus efficiency and reduce travel times. , so bus loads can probably be increased. be nearly empty: perhaps vans would be more cost efficient than large buses.

11:20 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

We have just lost our bus stop for HS and we live over a mile and a half away fr om the school. While I am aware that we could all use more exercise and the wal k would not hurt them I am concerned that it would require my daughter leave the house by 6:30am to get to school on time. I believe that if you are going to t ake away the buses you should atleast provide daylight hours for them to walk. E specially when you are asking 14 year olds to cross a four lane road in the dark where the posted speed limit is 40mph but cars clock closer to 50mph. If you w on't send elementary kids to school in the dark for fear of their safety please also show concern for the HS kids as well. For this reason I would support later start times for HS students.

11:34 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

LOVE the proposed changes. I am an educator who has seen the brain research and the importance of sleep to kids and when they function best. FFC test results wo uld increase if school started later!!

11:41 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

The current middle and high school start times are ridiculous. I know my kids do n't really wake up until at least 9 AM, and they tell me that many students simp ly sleep through their first class.

11:58 AM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Our family has been hoping for a later start time. Teenagers need more sleep. I think it is a very wise idea! When my children were in elementary school they were both up by 6am and watched cartoons until school started... waste of time! The little ones are in bed earlier and up earlier and alert and ready in the e arly monring. We support the change for a later start time for High Schools and a earlier start for the elementary schools.

12:29 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

My daughter most always comes home from school pooped and takes a nap before wak ing up and attacking her homework.

12:30 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

My high school child has a non-school sport--shifting the school day too late wo uld cause conflict with that sport.

12:35 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Ask any first period high school teacher - her students are sleepy, groggy, and rarely participate in class. All due to lack of sleep and the early start time.

12:42 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I think the high school start times and buses are too early. Middle school and e lementary are fine.

03:00 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

My son does not participate in after school sports or activities because he's to o tired from getting up so early. All he can do is take a nap and get his homew ork done. Weekends he's too tired to do much either.

03:18 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

The current start time in HS affects the academic performance of my son as he ca nnot focus adequately in the early morning classes and he falls asleep when he c omes home.

03:43 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Starting H.S. between 8:30 and 9:00 sounds like a good change. I hope there wil l not be an increase in skipping for those that get up early and decide to go of f and do things before school and don't get to school. Also, traffic is worse a t later times, so teenage drivers should be taken into consideration, but on the other hand they wouldn't be driving in the dark if school started later. Also, letting HS students out later gives them less time to be 'hanging around' commu nities.

04:03 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

This is very important to our family. The kids are not getting the sleep they ne ed to do their best in school. Other districts that have changed to later start times have seen great improvements in many areas including academic performance, happier students and teachers, fewer auto accidents involving students, and few er sick days.

04:19 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

My older two who are now in college had a far more difficult time than my younge st son - i firmly believe their being forced to get up at so early led to depres sion and inability to function at their best - these start times should start la ter - it's too late for my kids but can certainly help other teens.

04:22 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I think the later start times would be better for the high schoolers and middle schoolers. Of course, that would also mean a change in after school activities a s well.

04:58 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I really think this needs to change. My son needs about 10 hrs of sleep a night to be fully rested. It is hard to get his homework done, participate in sports and get enough sleep with an early start to school. It is ridiculous to think he can go to bed at 7:30 pm to get a full night of sleep.

05:43 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

My kids arer so tired in the morning, their teachers have moved thier core class es to the afternoon, when they are more alert.

05:53 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Most elementary school students who take the bus to school are accompanied to th e bus stop by a parent. Although elementary students standing at a bus stop in the dark of winter is not optimal, at least one adult is usually standing there with them.

05:58 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

High school start times need to be later. Students don't function well at that hour of the morning and it would be much better for them if school started at a more reasonable time.

06:12 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

My high school age daughter took a full AP load this year and will again, next y ear. It's part of the "need an advantage" mind-set. Consequently, she is up ve ry late doing tons of homework. If she could sleep until 7:30 am, instead of 5: 30 am (to catch her bus), she would be so much happier. Consequently, our famil y life would be so much happier, too. other hour of sleep in the morning, too! d dedication to this endeavour. I've been following it closely and hoping that you are successfull!

06:17 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

As children age, they sleep later in the morning! Having older children home in the afternoon, very often unsupervised, is never a good idea.

06:38 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I'm very happy with the Chesterbrook ES start times and would not want to see it change. I do think that the middle school and high school bus pick up times are much too early.

06:40 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

We fully support later start times - we've lived in many states (military) and m ost schools start later yet still succeed with sports/work/family/etc. We all a dapt to schedules - the children need their sleep!

07:11 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

middle and high school are starting too early - elementary kids get up earlier naturally

07:44 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

The current schedule ignores realities of teenage sleep needs and is both unheal thy and counterproductive to learning. es to Chesterbrook. The form wouldn't let me answer that question.

07:49 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I believe that the middle school start time is not good for the student. Most t imes the sun is not up when the buses come around and I believe that it is not s afe for the students to stand waiting for the bus.

07:56 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I think its pathetic that you liberal school board personnel don't demand that f amilies take responsibility for making sure their children receive the requisite amount of sleep and go to bed at a reasonable hour. We most assuredly did, whe n our parents were responsible for and took on responsibility for our actions- N OT THE SCHOOL BOARD! No wonder we have deficits. Stay OUT of the home and make the parents responsible. This is horrible.

07:57 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I would definitely say, although my kids are only 11 and 13, that I cannot imagi ne trying to get them up and out before 6am each day. Its almost cruel to even imagine it. It also gets them home so early compared to our work day...what are they going to do during all that time but eat, watch TV or get in to trouble. I can assure you that none of those are good alternatives. I'd much rather have them sleep in a bit, eat a more leisurely bfast, and jump on a bus at more reaso nable hour.

08:06 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Please don't change the middle school times to that late...better the high schoo l. Middle schoolers need help to get to school

08:09 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I do believe that HS and MS start too early. However, your survey questions sta te that bus pickups begin over an hour 20 minutes before school starts - that is absolutely an item to fix. No student should spend more than 30 minutes in tra nsit. Also, believe it to be fact that elementary age children require more sle ep than teenagers. With that in mind, a schedule that continues to start HS fir st then MS then ES makes the most sense to me.

08:18 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

As long as there is someone to meet my youngest at the elementary school when I have to be late, or if safety patrols are extended to the end of the walking rou te, I would favour a time change.

08:31 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I strongly oppose any delay to the start or completion of the school day. I rec ognize the concern that high school students may need more sleep than they get o n school nights, but I think that a later start to the school day is not a solut ion to the problem, and could possibly result in students simply going to bed ev en later than they currently do. I much prefer that the start of the school day remain unchanged, such that parents and students are responsible for bedtime an d to ensure adequate sleep, while preserving time after school for extracurricul ar activities. In fact, the proposed delay to the end of the school day could e ssentially preclude the safe and efficient conduct of my boys' spring sport.

08:34 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

We are a household where both parents work. We arrange for after school care, b ut in the morning it is critical that buses pick up kids in time for working par ents to arrive at work by 9:00.

08:49 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I would love my kids to get more sleep but worry how this would effect the crew team.

02:15 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Not only will HS time starting later interfere with after school sports and musi c such as band, but also other after school activities such as dancing ... In m y opinion, kids will not get any more sleep if schools begin later, they will ju st stay up later than they already do and get up at a later time, therefore the same amount of sleep they are getting now.

02:23 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I feel that the older kids need a lot more time to rest as a result of a) work l oad and the length of time they stay up to do homework, b) they shouldn't feel t hat they only have time to go to school/work/homework and then bed with no time for themselves and c) the younger kids are much more alert in the morning so the y, I feel, learn best at that time.

08:52 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

My concerns with school start times are that there will not be enough time after school to meet with teachers before Crew practice. If there were still early bu ses so that the students could meet with their teachers before classes start tha t would be fine.

09:38 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I have a comment on school sports practices. My daughter does not play school s ports but I have talked to several Mom's whose children do and they tell me that some practices last as late as 10:00 p.m. That is too late on a school night. Practices should end no later than 8:00 p.m.

09:43 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

7:20 is too early for any child to start school, and students waiting, in the Wi nter dark for school buses at 6:30 is unsafe

09:48 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I respect your concern and agree with it but I don't know how a later start wil l enhance a child if he's out later in the evening attending practice or any oth er academics after school. They contradict one another. I also don't think it 's fair to the teams/coaches if practices are cut short. We have enough politics e nvolved in our school sports as it is and I think this would make it worse. Pare nts and players will nned more coaching outside of the norm to compensate and th erefore costing the family more $$ and time to keep up with competition. I think it's best to leave the time schedule as is.

09:52 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Students are so tired in the morning that they do not pay attention in early per iods and get poorer grades. Students would do better without block scheduling a s well. Schools could also start ealier than September and have Easter AKA "Spi ng" Holidays starting after Easter so that out of town famlies who want to spen d Easter together could have that option

09:55 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Early pick ups for middle and high school students are crazy, and disadvantage t hem in preparing for college.

10:24 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I think the elementary should start first but then the high school gets out late r with a later start time. This impacts extracurricular activites but if studen ts chose to do extracurricular activites they could meet before school if the st art time is later.

11:00 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

A later start time for high school needs to happen. It's what's best for the he alth and safety of these teenagers. My daughter was rear-ended last year by a d rowsy student in the morning who was not paying attention to the road.

11:37 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I work full time. I'd like my older child in school later so there is not endles s open time available to get bored or into things. I get out early so early morn ing starts are fine with me.

11:57 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Thank you for all of your efforts. Research supports later school start times. Tired students' attention, decision making skills,safety as vehicle drivers, an d ability to perform well in class and on tests, including state mandated tests, are negatively affected. Let our kids sleep. It is a win, win situation.

11:58 PM Wednesday, July 02, 2008

LATER SCHOOL START TIMES WOULD BE BETTER FOR THEIR HEALTH! MY DAUGHTERS NEED ALL THE SLEEP THEY CAN GET!

12:18 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I fully support later start times for high schools. They should start no later than 8:30 am.

01:09 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

i know it might be hard to fit in sports practices, but it is not impossible. a nd to me, getting more sleep and getting good grades is way more important. the students who want to do sports for a living can still easily fit in the practic e time with school starting later. test scores and grades and attention spans a nd overall achievement would increase dramatically. this applies to sports afte r school to; the less tired they are the better they will practice.

01:58 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

A schedule change would likely offer better performance in middle and high schoo l students. However, the middle school time slot seems a bit late.

05:45 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

DO NOT CHANGE IT!!!! The schedule is fine as it is. If you change it to a la ter time, where it may be convenient for you, it will strain the athlete/student s and their parents. In addition, with growing fuel prices, you will be sendin g the buses out into heavy traffic patterns, causing an increase in fuel consump tion.

05:46 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Starting high school at 7:20 is crazy! Whatever benefit taxpayers get from usin g fewer busses that way is not worth it.

07:13 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Thank you! I only wish that ALL elementary age children could be home earlier i n the afternoon for playtime OUTSIDE, for homework, for time to be a child. Our late bell schedule during their elementary years has been less than ideal.

07:59 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

My daughters go to two different elementary schools (one GT center and one neigh borhood school) and my biggest struggle is the two schools start and end at diff ferent times. It makes logistics in a family with two working parents quite diff icult to manage. For example we have to walk to the busstop in time for the firs t bus and then wait for the second bus which comes 30-45 minutes apart.

08:23 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I prefer to keep the current schedule. That will allow them to have time take p art in other activities after school such as piano lesson or volunteer services etc. They will have more "day time" to finish the home work.

08:40 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

#11 - I'm not sure what you mean by this question - 1 hour per weekday? 1 hour average per week? Why just sports and not other long term after school activiti es (play rehearsals, etc)? Is the direction for the question about physical act ivity?? h more awake on days when school starts later (snow days, PSAT days). I don't k now how bus schedules are figured in, but I believe that just 45 minutes to 1 ho ur later start would improve the quality of a high school student's day without significantly impacting work/after school activities.

08:45 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Again, I love the late start for high school. This would give the students oppo rtunities for before school activities too. I think Old dominion has a later st art time and they offer the above opportunities to their students. Too many chi ldren have told me that they practically sleep through their first period classe s. Our students stay up late now because of the rigorous schedule yet still hav e to get up at the crack of dawn! I am all for later start times!

09:21 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Although I think the cost of a change should be an important consideration, I am pleased the district is exploring options that might help students.

09:27 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Questions 9 and 11 are rather bias. There are PLENTY of other activities in HS that are not sports related that take up time before/after school.

09:38 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

In our opinion, the start times for middle and high school are too early. Our o ldest daughter (who has now graduated from college) struggled with the early st art times. Our middle daughter cannot function in her early morning classes and sometimes inadvertently falls asleep. We support changing the school start tim es and want to contribute to improving this situation for other students.

09:56 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

We strongly support the efforts to change school hours for middle and high schoo l students

10:04 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

High school bus pickup times at 6:40 are not acceptable. Any change to high scho ol start times - the time when kids need more sleep would be great!

10:45 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

School starting time too early not just deplete students' sleeping time but the most important meal-breakfast. Many people cannot eat well or does not have app etite in the morning if they get up too early and the body clock is difficult to be adjusted. Especially if it is in a rush every morning. A good relaxed brea kfast is just equally important as their sleep time. Some kids take a shower in the morning, to wait for a 6:20 AM bus means to wake up at least an hour before to shower/eat/make their bed. When they arrive school, they are actually start to getting "relaxed".

10:58 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

This is past due and it's great to see it being seriously considered! Older stu dents are at a great disadvantage with current schedules.

11:11 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

7:20 school start time isn't a problem; waiting for a school bus before 6:00 a.m . is. e are other activities that are just as time consuming.

11:35 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Thank you for considering this!! It would be much better for teens to have more morning sleep time. Our elementary age kids start school at 8:20 am, and do fi ne with it. Teenagers commonly can't go to sleep as early. Please make the cha nge!

11:43 AM Thursday, July 03, 2008

My high school student will be getting a job next year so I support having class es ending around 3:15 - 3:45 As yearly as classes are starting now, 1st perio d might as well be sleep periods.

12:04 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I love the idea of a later start time. My son talks about how his second period class is the hardest to stay awake in. It is not the suject. He is sleepy and the caffeine has worn off. I love the idea of changing the bell schedule. The sooner the better.

12:06 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

they could do practices/clubs before high school. High school kids need more sle ep, they don't learn anything at 7:30am. Start middle school and high school aft er elementary school but leave elementary school at the same time it is now.

12:16 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I urge later start times. Children should at least have the same work day as ad ults, not a worse day.

12:52 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Our boys participate in crew. They use the time after school, before practice, to meet with teachers. Any change in the current schedule would eliminate this important opportunity and also impact the available time they would have for the ir river practices. They travel 30min. to the river and have to be off the wate r by dark. On the water practices begin in February.

02:57 PM Friday, July 04, 2008

My daughter gets a lot of stress-related illnesses (colds, sinus infections, mig raines, etc.) and she misses a LOT of school (about 40 days/school year). Her g etting more sleep will help reduce the number of illnesses she gets which in tur n will reduce her absenteeism.

03:40 PM Friday, July 04, 2008

I substitute in the high school every week and so many of the students fall asle ep during class. I think they have a very hard time staying awake and staying f ocused. It's so hard to start the school day at 7:25 and for those who play spo rts that don't get home until late and also have a lot of homework, it is very h ard on them. I'd love to see the high school start times start at least an hour later. I really think you would see happier kids and also more successful in s chool.

06:22 PM Friday, July 04, 2008

School start time at 8:30 would be better than 9:30 because then the kids don't get out so late.

09:21 PM Friday, July 04, 2008

We strongly agree with the recommendations of the task to begin all school days near or after 8am.

07:39 AM Saturday, July 05, 2008

Research shows that teenagers need more sleep than adults. Research also shows that most teenagers are not able to get to sleep before 9 pm. I teach in a Fair fax county public high school and see first hand how many students are not able to get to school on time due to sleep issues and those that do make it to school on time are not ready to learn at 7:20 in the morning.

01:10 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I don't think it is a bad thing for kids to learn to go to bed at a time that al lows them to get enough sleep no matter what time they have to get up. Starting school later just pushes everything else that has to get done to a later hour p erpetuating the problem. I know this is a personal opinion but too many parents allow their children to stay up too late. Ben Franklin taught "early to bed, e arly to rise" and the principle still applies even in modern times.

01:25 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I believe the high school starts too early and elementary starts way too late. M y 3rd grader is usually up and ready to go at 7:00 and then has to wait until 8: 30 to go to school.

01:46 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Although we are a few years from having our daughters in high school, the exceed ingly early start times have already been on my radar screen and something that is of concern. As the high school bus comes by our house at 6:15 each morning, I feel bad for those students standing in the dark at such an early hour waiting. Given the high level of stress our students can be under as high school graduat ion approaches, sleep becomes even more important. We have a responsibility to d o what we can for these young adults to keep them healthy and stress free when w e have control. My more immediate concern would be if our elementary school star ted earlier than we are currently used to. My children sleep a solid 11 - 12 hou rs a night, going to bed at 8:00p.m. on weeknights. As it is, I need to wake the m at 7:00am to catch the 8:00 bus. If school were to start any sooner it would b e difficult on them as well. I appreciate there are only a finite number of buse s and am selfishly glad I am not having to make the tough decisions on this matt er. Thank you for asking for our input!

01:48 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

younger children are much more ambitious to go to school and it is more natural for them to wake earlier. parents of elementary children are used to getting u p early and so it would not be a huge effort for those who choose to wait with t hem at bus stops. i would think for the working parents of elementary students, earlier start times would be more apt to work well with the typical 8-5 work day . uire high school kids to be at bus stops so early. it also adds one more opport unity for an argument when you are trying to wake your teenager so extremely ear ly to get them off to school on time. sometimes you have to 'choose your battl es' with your teenager, having to wake them up at an unreasonable time is one i would like to avoid!

03:08 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

To get the most out of the school daily activity, the students in middle and hig h, r. time to socialize and make arrangements for the upcoming afternoon get together s with other students and by the time they get to the next class, it will take t hem another 10-15 minutes to get back to the "study frame of mind" that they los t traveling up and down the stairs. Time managing the day, will make the most ou t of the hours. I work for the school sistem, and I realized that, at list, 2 ho urs out od each day lost in commuting process. share my vision with you.

04:15 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

My daughter has insomnia and has a hard time getting to sleep; thus a hard time getting up. I would love a later start time - but certainly not 9 or 9:30 -- ma ybe 8 or 8:30 a.m.

05:32 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Society, technology, and family needs have changed since the current bell times were put into motion. HS students DO NOT NEED 4-5 hours of unsupervised attentio n - read the papers - Day Parties, DRUG use, Friends with Benifiets - too much i dle time on their hands - they need their brains ready to make solid decisions - they are sleep deprived as it is and our current NEWS shows us each night their poor decisions. Think of this as a FIX and not a bandaid approach to the proble m.

05:59 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Why not do a survey that allows parents to suggest ideal start times and ranges, rather than restricting us to choices like in question 7?. Then you could take the mean and standard deviation so that you can represent what the parents want the start time range to be. Also, why restrict parents that don't have kids in HS from answering those questions. My rising Middle Schooler will be in HS in a couple of years, so my opinion should count on MS and HS, too. The transport questions don't have an option for bus transport from base school (e.g., for SAC C) to another school (e.g., TJ or a GT center).

06:02 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

This was our first year with a child in high school. Getting up at or around 6a m to get her up and ready on time was a nightmare from the first day of school. She is a straight A student and very responsible and has enjoyed school since k indergarden...but both of us couldn't wait for summer break this year, simply be cause of how early our day had to start! I grew up in FCPS, attending LBSS. I woke up at 7:30 and started school at 8:15am...that was doable...getting up at 6 am in not!

06:33 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I really hope that the school start times change for the better. My teenagers re ally need their sleep, but it is hard for them to get it because they need to wa ke up early just to make school on time. However, my elementary school student h as no problem getting out of bed in the morning. I know many, many other high sc hools have later start times, and my kids really envy them.

07:28 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Having students starting their school day around 6:30 is not condusive to learni ng. They are tired for their 1st 2 periods. It affects their learning and thei r health. They need their sleep to be productive. Please change these ridiculo us start times.

07:51 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Based on my experience with currently having both an elementary age and high sch ool age child, we need to begin high school later for the sake of the physical a nd mental health of the students and earlier for elementary students who wake up earlier and would like to have time to play after school. My elementary school son doesn't get home until after dark during the winter. This is a safety issue.

08:29 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Kids need more sleep than they're getting now and more as they get older, in gen eral. This county is rich enough to get this done. Pay for more buses, etc. Do what you have to do. The quality of the schools, not the roads, is what keeps this county great--and what keeps people buying here. Raise the tax rate to pay for this, do what you have to do but--do not blow this.

08:42 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

As stated before, I don't think elementary students should begin school earlier than 9:00am.

09:01 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I believe middle school and high school should start later. It gives them extra time to sleep in the morning and helps them stay out of trouble in the afternoo n having less time before parents get home from work if they can get home later.

10:34 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

I think it's absurd that high schoolers are forced to wake up at 5 in the mornin g just to get to school! It's funny that when there is a 2 hour delay, the teena gers come to school refreshed and energized, whereas on a regular school day the y are drained because they haven't gotten enough sleep. It places them at major disadvantages from other school districts because when the kids go to school the y simply are not ready to learn. Please, FCPS, change this soon!

11:46 PM Thursday, July 03, 2008

Elementary age children go to bed earlier and naturally awake earlier than middl e and high school age children. Thus, it makes sense for them to go to school e arlier. Middle and high school age children need at least 10 hrs. sleep a night to stay healty and alert in school.

08:33 AM Friday, July 04, 2008

I like the early start. I tihink people do better in the morning and have the a fternoon free for other stuff. Changes should be made in the times that kids go to bed in order that they get enough sleep. there are after school activities th at they can participate if they finish school early.

09:21 AM Friday, July 04, 2008

I remember being exhausted at Madison HS in the mornings when I was a student. It was just too early. The alarm would go off and I woke up in the middle of a dream -- very confused and disoriented. I prayed for snow delays all winter lon g.

09:54 AM Friday, July 04, 2008

Appreciate the committee's work on this, the early start times have really been difficult for my youngest child (currently only one who hasn't finished high sch ool)--middle school times were about an hour earlier than when we lived in anoth er state

10:00 AM Friday, July 04, 2008

I can't imagine that it has taken this long for people to realize that teenagers need lots of sleep AND go to bed later than the rest of the world. They only ge t to be teenagers once in their lives, can't we help make it one of the best tim es of their lives?

10:28 AM Friday, July 04, 2008

I am so glad the PTA is conducting this survey and hope it produces a later star t schedule for high school.

10:41 AM Friday, July 04, 2008

I think the current proposal is a good idea and would benefit all of those stude nts and still give quality family time.

11:13 AM Friday, July 04, 2008

There is no question that teenagers need a later start time...they stay up later than young children not only because they can but often have to because of thei r other activities being held late at night. They are up late, but have the ear liest start times. They should have the latest start time possible. Scientific studies have also shown that biologically teens need more sleep.

11:19 AM Friday, July 04, 2008

I would be so truly happy if you made the junior high and high school start date s later in the morning. I truly think the older children go to bed later becaus e of homework and jobs and they still need their sleep. they will have many yea rs of getting up early when they start working to earn a living. Please, please , please change the start dates. thank you for your consideration.

01:52 PM Friday, July 04, 2008

Because of sleep deprivation, my high school son cannot process the first block of the day, sleeps in class routinely, is irritable, and has trouble staying ale rt to do homework. His grades have gone down since starting high school.

10:11 AM Saturday, July 05, 2008

don't change start times. things are already messed up with the grading system (fairgrade)

12:15 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

I think the current schedule is better because I rely on my teenager to watch my elementary school child. Families that want to change have 2 parents in the ho usehold. Single parents don't have the luxury to change to a later schedule.

03:20 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

It makes no sense to have elementary school children going to scholl late when t hey are naturally incfont-weight: normal; lined to get up early. It makes no sense to have HS student s get up early when their bodies need more sleep and they have trouble going to sleep at night. The system is backwards and needs to be changed ASAP.

06:01 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

definetely taking the bus at 6:30 is too early but the early finish time in the afternoon it's good for kids who play sports after school as it allows for pract ice time and study time. If the kids end the day later and add 2 or 3 hours of s ports practice or other activities when will they study? And if you have to stay late to study and go to be later what is the gain here? Our family has adapted to the early start and works for us. In fact having a son in Haycock starting at 9:20 has been a big problem since we both work and the bus didn't pick up until 8:45

06:44 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

I don't think teenagers are getting enough sleep. Having a child that will soon start middle school I am concerned with the early start times and hope that a c hange is made that puts the needs of out children over those of the transportati on dept.

08:55 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

The schools start times give us more homework time especially since my kids are involved in several after school activities

09:00 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

I COMPLETELY agree with later start times. It is VERY VERY important and is cent ral to a student's well-being and academic work. The current times cause many pr oblems for students, and it is NOT fair to them. How can they possibly do well i n school and feel well when they are not allowed to get nearly enough sleep? It MUST be changed, and if the powers that be really DO care about our kids, they w ill vote to change it. Thanks.

09:16 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

ITS TOUGH - BUT HOW ABOUT CHANGING THE BUS ROUTES TO SHORTEN THE TRAVEL TIMES. MAYBE SMALLER ELECTRIC NATURAL GAS FUELED BUSSES THAT ARE SCHOOL BASED ?

10:42 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

It's tough to change times due to the buses, but it was very hard to get my fres hmen son up for his 6:30 bus, he never missed but it was hard. His spring sport was crew and he got home at 6:15. Dinner and homework and some down time was b usy but I want all my kids to participate in sports or clubs. If he had more fr ee time it would be spent on video games and T.V.

11:16 PM Saturday, July 05, 2008

I definately feel that the current start time for middle and high schools is too , too early. It would be easier getting my elementary student on an early sched ule.

11:24 AM Sunday, July 06, 2008

The current start times for middle and high school are way too early. Middle and high school should not begin earlier than 8:00 am.

11:52 AM Sunday, July 06, 2008

I would just suggest that if you move middle school and high school times a half an hour later, then move the elementary school a half an hour later. A lot of families rely on older children to watch the younger ones, and ensure they come home safely. My youngest is going to be 10 years old, and a little old for a ba bysitter, but still needs supervision from his older brother who is 14.

12:37 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

Later starts to high schools have been PROVEN to improve student performance. Ei ther delay high school start times or admit that you don't give a damn about the student's well being. BE HONEST!

01:19 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

MY daughter took all honers while participating in dance classes that took up at least 10 hours a week. She loves to dance but next year her dance classes will become more demanding and she will get EVEN LESS sleep. When she only gets about 5 or 6 hours now. I don't think she'll be able to keep doing it.

01:27 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

My children are currently in elementary school but I sincerely hope middle schoo l and especially, high school start times are changed to later times before my c hildren reach that age. I fully agree that teenagers need more sleep to perform at the best of their academic potential. I also believe that traffic accidents could be reduced by teenagers being more well rested. With homework, some with jobs, and basic body clocks, it is very hard for teenagers to get to bed in time to support rising at 5:00 am. Class disruption might be reduced and discipfont-weight: normal; line might be improved by teenagers getting more sleep. In our neighborhood, high s chool students catch the bus in the dark, close to 6 a.m. I think this situatio n is terrible and may consider moving to Loudoun Country if Fairfax does not mov e to later high school start times.

02:57 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

Changing middle and high school times would have a very negative impact on my fa mily---my daughter likes the idea of getting out of school early to have more ti me for school work in middle school and high school. My son's after school acti vities would be adversely affected as well.

03:24 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

My big gripe with the start times is that my son had Honors Math first period, a nd I think that he is tired during that period. I wouldn't have had so much pro blem with his start time if he didn't start with Math. I think that it is criti cal to be very alert in Math. By the second period, my son was generally more a lert and ready for a course as difficult as much. So if you can't change the st art times, please don't have any children do Math first thing in the morning.

03:25 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

I would end up driving my child to middle school if bell time didn't change to a llow for any extra morning time. It's way too early for them to catch the bus n ow.

04:47 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

We are extremely in favor of late high school start times. The kids are not get ting enough sleep which is limiting their learning ability. With sports they ca nnot get to bed early even if they wanted to.

05:01 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

Although I think that the HS and MS start too early, too much of a shift to a la ter time would not help. If the kids start/end school later, then everything wil l just be shifted; sports will end later ( unless practices are moved to the mor ning), dinner and homework will be later. Kids would probably need the extra mor ning time to finish their homework, and would not gain sleep time. If practices were moved to before school the situation might improve, but then there is the i ssue of showers/dressing etc after practice and before school.

05:28 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

Because of sports and other after school activities my older children get home l ate. Most activities have the younger children pradctices earlier. I think the older students should go to school after the elementary schools.

07:30 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

Early high school start times make it impossible for my daughters (one an early bird, the other a night owl) to get enough sleep. I drive them to school so they can get an extra half hour, but they are still chronically underslept. This imp acts their academic performance, and one of them had been falling asleep in scho ol after lunch. One gave up doing math homework halfway through the year in orde r to get more sleep and as a result nearly flunked out.

07:49 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

It would be nice if they could start a little later. Most teenagers won't go to bed at 9:00pm and if they have to be up before 6:00am to get ready to be at the bus stop at 6:30, it is a challenge to get enough sleep. This is especially ch allenging when they have difficult classes that require a lot of homework.

07:50 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

middle school and high school students should get MUCH more sleep, no need to ch ange elementary start times.this would be great, aand i would see work habbit im provement from my 2 older kids.

08:29 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

This sounds great. I hope the new schedule will start soon. Thank you for list ening to parents and for studying the issue.

09:48 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

I strongly support later, more reasonable start times for the high school and mi ddle school students. When my children were in elementary school I thought - wh y don't the schools start earlier for the elementary school. My children were aw ake in the morning but too tired by the end of the school day. I thought for edu cated people the administrators in the school system sure have the school start times backwards. And then when my children hit high school I knew the school sys tem start time were wrong.

09:55 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

high school bus pickups are tooo early and dangerous in the winter. Elementary schools should let out later than high/middle schools.

11:02 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008

I prefer high school ends earlier than middle school, and middle school ends ear lier than elementary school, so it would be nice to start middle school between 9:00am and 9:20am.

01:01 AM Monday, July 07, 2008

My highschooler really enjoys the early start time so that he can be active in s ports and work and still have time for other extracurricular activities. I think that the Elementary school students who have less structure after school can ma nage the later schedules easier than the highschoolers who are trying to "fit ev erything in". Our family would appreciate keeping the current schedules.