Councilors call for redo of criticized school start times
City councilors are blasting Boston Public Schools’ move to switch school start times next year after backlash from thousands of parents who say earlier times for elementary schools will force them to alter work schedules and pay more for child care.
BPS announced this week new bell times for next year. The shift will have 94 percent of students in grades 7 to 12 starting after 8 a.m., up from 26 percent this year. And the number of students in elementary school who will be ending school after 4 p.m. will decrease from 33 percent this year to 15 percent next year. The times shifted between the secondary and elementary schools.
But the move has sparked the ire of many elementary school parents who argue the shift — which at some schools was as much as two hours — leaves them without afterschool care.
Almost 4,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Superintendent Tommy Chang and Mayor Martin J. Walsh to halt the time changes.
Councilor Tito Jackson tweeted: “As Chair of Education, I agree post 8 a.m. start times for high school students are the right move. A K-8 change to a 7:15am-1:15pm school day shows a complete tone deafness to the needs, jobs and schedules of the working families that you serve.”
Councilor Matt O’Malley agreed.
O’Malley tweeted: “Later High School start times are a laudable goal that we should embrace, but not at the expense of a way too early elementary school schedule. 7:15a-1:15p is very difficult for most families & @BostonSchools should come up with a revised compromise schedule.”
The district switched the bell times after growing research said high school students benefit more from later start times.
Chang, in a statement Friday, defended the move, saying research shows high schoolers benefit from later start times and elementary kids benefit from earlier times.