AEA Alabama School Journal
October 15, 2007
AEA’s first Online Survey, the latest feature to be added to the AEA Web site, www.myaea.org, has produced some interesting results.
For the very first survey, 291 respondents answered the survey question: “Do schools start too early?”
Of those responding, 84.9 percent said “yes” schools are starting too early, while 9.1 percent said “no” and 3.4 percent said that the school start date did not make much of a difference.
Several respondents shared their concerns about starting school in early August.
• “Our school system begins in early August. This year with temperatures of 100+ for all of August and part of September, it was terrible. There was no going outside. We have so many students with health situations that the heat is unbearable.”
• “We simply need to go to year around schooling. I need time off in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. Children need the same. I have been teaching for 13 years and see how everyone would benefit from short breaks. After summer vacation we spend too much time re-teaching students. Year round school would help the United States keep up with other nations.”
• “I think all schools in Alabama should be on the same schedule. That would make it easier for everyone statewide. We have teachers at our school with children in other school systems within Marshall County that have completely different calendars.”
• “The high temperatures in August were very dangerous to our students. There was a traffic jam. Students had to get off the bus to cool off. It registered 112 degrees on the bus. My opposition to schools starting before Labor Day is for health reasons. Our students deserve better consideration. It is very hypocritical to worry about test scores, healthy lunches, etc., and continue this practice.”
• “As a teacher standing out in the traffic line for twenty minutes in the heat of the morning and the afternoon was miserable. Our children also have to ride the bus to four schools and by the time my son reached my school the temperatures on the buses were well above 100-108 for about 15 days in August.”
• “My classroom is located where it is battered by the sun all day long. My AC never works right and I have to use three fans all day long. This year when watching the buses in the afternoon, you could see the bus drivers going along spraying water on the children to cool them. That is insane!”
• “Starting and air conditioning schools during the hottest month of the year is ridiculous. Many AC systems are old and over-stressed anyway. I have been in the classroom a long time and 10 days of instruction are not going to make or break whether a child does well on a standardized test. Test scores were higher 15 years ago when school started at a reasonable date.”
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