There’s A Better Way

To the Editor:

In his August 25 letter, Mark Dennen shared the admirable work ethic by which he was raised. But it’s time to stop sermonizing on how much harder we had it and how much better we are for it and admit that sometimes there’s a better way. Each generation works hard to make positive changes that afford a better quality of life for the next.

We’ve reached this point with school start times. We can’t ignore the overwhelming clinical evidence that early morning school start times are harmful to sleep-reliant teens and adolescents. The evidence is so convincing that towns like Wilton have instituted later start times for their middle school and high school. Even the US Navy has accommodated their young recruits by extending their “rack time: by two hours. (Go to any search engine on the web and type in “teens and sleep deprivation” to read up on this subject.)

Yet, last June, our school board voted for a three-tier bus schedule that would cost less than the existing four-tier schedule. The decision resulted in a significantly earlier start time for the middle school. The rationale for the decision was that busing is strictly a transportation issue (an acceptable cut) not an academic issue (an unacceptable cut). Hmm. That’s a questionable distinction. As parents, we’re not convinced that our seventh and eighth graders, who are catching buses as early as 6:20, are awake and on task by 7:30. Will academics suffer? Are school administrators going to monitor the effects of this change on grades and behavior?

Our school district proudly states: “All children can and will learn well.” Our 863 middle school students should not be exempt from this promise. Let’s do right by them and find a way to get these kids to school at a reasonable hour.

Sincerely,

Dave and Tracy Fiore

19 Taunton Lake Drive, Newtown                      September 9, 2003