SOUTH BRUNSWICK – The South Brunswick School District is moving ahead with its existing plan to begin hybrid instruction on Nov. 16.
As part of the model, classes will begin at 7:30 a.m. and end at 1:55 p.m., making the class blocks a total of 80 minutes.
In response to this change, Sourav Patra created a petition because students will be in front of their computers for a minimum of 320 minutes per day, plus an additional 40 minutes, according to the new schedule.
“[A]nd that’s not even including the amount of time it takes to do our homework,” Patra said in the petition, posted on Change.org. “Pediatricians and even the American Health Association have both made statements regarding the excessive use of screens before COVID-19, and considering the fact that we are using screens for almost everything, the health risks of staring at a screen for almost 8 hours a day are unbeknownst to doctors, and may have devastating developmental effects on students of all ages.”
In addition, lunch time is reduced to 30 minutes a day from the previous 60 minutes.
“I personally felt that it was a decision that will negatively impact our ability to learn during class. Those 60 minutes provided a time for students to rest their eyes, and their brains. Having students sit in one place for 70 minutes staring at a screen is already difficult enough as is, and reducing the amount of time they are able to separate their eyes from their screens would create even greater difficulty for the students to focus on the material they are being taught,” Patra wrote.
Patra received more than 1,250 votes in support of the schedule change. However, the original plan seemingly will stay as-is.
On Oct. 30, Patra posted a reply on the petition’s site.
“I’m sorry to say that according to [Superintendent] Scott Feder, there is simply nothing that can be done about the timing of school start times. While this is a sad defeat, I still strongly believe that screen time is still an issue that has yet to be addressed. The reduction of passing times and lunch times still has a negative impact on student body, and the problem is most likely going to be even more pronounced, as students are going to be waking up way earlier, and receiving even less break between each class.
“To everyone who signed this petition, thank you so much, and I hope that we can still keep fighting this issue, ensuring the students health, mental wellbeing, and focus during classes,” Patra said.
Feder could not be reached by press time.