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Parents urge board to abandon proposed 8:45 a.m. elementary start time
Summary
Multiple parents urged the Caswell County Board of Education to reject a proposal to move elementary start times to about 8:35–8:45 a.m., saying the change would create childcare costs, scheduling conflicts for commuting families and longer evenings for students.
Several parents told the Caswell County Board of Education on June 1 that a proposal to push elementary start times to roughly 8:35–8:45 a.m. would impose serious hardships on working families and could push students’ days later into the evening.
Amy Howard, a parent who said she commutes outside the county for work, told the board the later start ‘‘shifts unrealistic daily burden onto working families’’ and could force parents to seek schedule changes, reduce work hours or pay for before- and after-school care they cannot afford. "This directly disrupts our school routines, sports, tutoring, family time," Howard said.
Daniel Lambert, another parent, criticized the district survey he said guided the proposal because it did not include an option to keep the current schedule; he said families had already adjusted to the current start time and that an 8:45 start would create extra childcare and transportation costs. "If the school day starts at 08:45, we will likely be forced to pay for before and after school care in addition to daycare expenses that we already have," Lambert said.
Lisonbee Bernard, a parent of elementary- and middle-school children in the county, said bus reliability and long rides make earlier alternatives necessary. She said sending an elementary child on an unreliable or very long bus ride is not a safe option for many families.
Why it matters: Parents said the proposal risks reducing access to county schools for working families, particularly in a community where many commute out of the county for work, and could disproportionately affect Title I families who cannot afford extra childcare. Several speakers asked the board to reconsider or retain the current elementary schedule.
Board response: The chair acknowledged the public comments and said the board would address start times as agenda item 9 later in the meeting.
Next steps: The board will revisit the start-time proposal during the meeting; parents requested the board give greater weight to families who must be at work before the school day begins.
Speakers quoted in this article are public commenters listed in the meeting roster.
