Letter to the editor
To the editor
As a parent of four Lawrence Township public school students (three at Slackwood and one at LIS), I am against any proposal changing the starting and finishing times of our schools.
The school board has decided to lengthen the school day of the primary schools by 10 minutes, and I feel we should leave things the way they are. I do not feel that the primary school children are in need of 10 additional minutes of instructional time. And while I understand and acknowledge that there is a direct correlation between instruction time and school/academic performance, our children are thriving now. To change the end of their day to later than 3 p.m. will just make them more tired and more hungry than they already are when they get home. What good is this 10 minutes going to do anyone? These are young children, and they spend enough time at school as it is. I understand the need for academics, but not at the expense of their childhood.
Although the 10 minutes is slated to be added only to the K-3 schools, because of bus scheduling, the intermediate school’s end time would also most likely be affected by 10 minutes. The intermediate school day now ends at 3:30 p.m. More often than not, these children do not get home until after 4 p.m. By changing the ending time to 3:40 p.m., the students will get home even later. Few children can start their homework as soon as they walk in the door; after seven hours of schooling, the need at least a few minutes of down time before diving into their homework. (They get substantially more homework than the children do in the primary schools.) Many of them also participate in after-school activities, such as clubs, religious education and sports. Are these children expected to get their homework done, participate in their activities, have time with their families and still get to bed at a decent hour? Ten p.m. is not a decent hour. My kids need eight-to-nine hours of sleep.
And what will happen in 2004-2005? Will the school board want to add yet another 10 minutes? Although school is a very large part of our children’s lives, it is not their entire life, and unless someone can show me that this 10 minutes is going to make an incredibly huge difference in the academic performance of our children, then you may keep your additional ten minutes.
Pam Adamczyk
Bunker Hill Avenue
Lawrence

