Fwd: LAPS Proposed Elementary Schedule

[Sondra Wyman]

Hi, I’m not sure how you have been responding to these emails. Can we ensure Amy gets a response?

Thanks, 

Sondra

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Amy Zimmerman <arzi...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Apr 8, 2024 at 10:21 PM
Subject: LAPS Proposed Elementary Schedule
To: <s.w...@laschools.net>

Dear Ms. Wyman,

I am very concerned about the proposed 7:45 start time for the elementary schools (I've heard this may be pushed till 8:05, which isn't as concerning but also isn't great). My daughter is 5 years old and is currently in the Prek-4Y program. She sleeps on average 11.5 hours a night (according to google, this is about average for her age). Currently, we have to be up about 1 hour before school to be there one time. With the proposed schedule, a 7:45 start time would mean she needs to wake up at 6:45am and therefore need to be asleep by 7:15pm. This means that we are unable to do after school activities. Currently she does gymnastics that runs from 5:15-6:30 and soccer starts soon that runs from 5:30-6:30. This means we get home around 6:45 which allows about 30 minutes to eat dinner and get into bed (both of which take at least 30 minutes each). Like most families, we work from 8-5, meaning moving our after school activities earlier also isn't really feasible. Now, I understand that everything I listed above may be unique to just me and my family, but every family I have talked to has concerns about such an early start time. I know this stems from studies about teenagers needing more sleep, therefore they get a later start time, but I also think sleep is incredibly important for elementary aged kids. I will also note that my daughter's bus route is 30 minutes long. Meaning that if I were to have her ride the bus, she'd be getting on at 7:15 in the morning...

Another concern that I am sure others have brought up is the after school programs that rely on high schoolers for staffing. I know two of the major after school programs, the YMCA and LASG, both use high schoolers. What will those programs do if the high schoolers aren't getting out until an hour after the elementary kids? I know for the LASG after school program, the high schoolers ride the city bus with the elementary students to ensure they get to gymnastics safely. Without them, we are possibly asking kids as young as kindergartners to walk themselves to the bus stop and do a bus transfer all by themselves? This doesn't seem safe and I'm guessing it will mean many parents will no longer be able to use this after school program.

The obvious proposal would be to leave the schedule as is. Alternatively, being able to push the start time to 8:15 would make a huge impact for those of us with small kids (that's the extra 30 minutes I needed above to be able to feed my child and get her to bed after sports finish). If the concern is the high school starting later, is it possible to start elementary at 8:45? This would allow teachers one hour before and one hour after school for planning time (instead of the proposed 2 hours after school).

I also want to support the new proposed school calendar. That appears to shorten fall break and Thanksgiving break and gives kids back more time in the summer. These long breaks (1.5 weeks for both fall break and spring break when you count in the 3 days of conferences) are very difficult for working parents. Most of us don't have the time and/or money to take off for all of these breaks, which means we end up with bored kids sitting at home wishing they were in school. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for listening to my concerns. I hope you are able to find a path forward that works for everyone. 

-Amy Zimmerman

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