Posted by Kristin Duriseti, a resident of the Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park neighborhood, on Jan 19, 2010 at 7:14 pm

This is certainly an important topic, and I am grateful that our administrators, teachers, parents and students are taking up the discussion, given the overwhelming evidence in support of teenagers getting more sleep. I am concerned that any proposal to start the regular school day later will imply that students carrying an extra class will be forced to start their day even earlier. Although the percentage of students taking 7 classes a semester may be small, these students absolutely need adequate sleep to meet the additional demands. Please consider that their needs shouldn't be compromised.

Posted by NotAntiUnion....but..., a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Jan 19, 2010 at 9:34 pm

I wonder to what degree teacher's unions play into the decision to still maintain early start times for kids with extra classes. Starting later and ending later means losing the opportunity for early exits from campus for teachers. I don't begrudge them their free time, but the early start and early end along with a 10 to 12 week summer vacation is an anachronism from an agrarian society. Most of our kids don't go home and take care of the chickens or bring the animals in from pasture. Urban settings are suited to more school time with a later start, more "homework" during school hours, and less homework outside of school. Not all time at school needs to be supervised by highly trained teachers.

Posted by Men/Ath/Port/Wood, a resident of the Menlo Park: other neighborhood, on Jan 20, 2010 at 7:47 pm

Brief thoughts: 1) Worst case is 20 hrs a week? That's 2 hrs a night and 10 on weekends. So? 2) Plus summers off, to travel to Europe on the 'rents' dime, or the taxpayers' if from EPA. 3) What are they going to do about 8 AM college classes (Since Chris Thomsen says they all have to go...)? Or are they all planning to be "poets?" 4) "Studies show" that most kids around here who get actual jobs, do so in order to waste even more time buying stuff they don't need. 5) There are entire classes in "safety education?" As in not freezing the eggs before throwing them? Or ducking? 6) "Facebook" is not "always on;" it's on when you turn it on. 7) If they need more social time, form study groups, already. (Then they can "Twitter" about it.) 8) Still, I'm happy to blame anything on the Unions...