Pleasantville Parents Erupt Over Proposed 15-Minute School Start Time Change

At a school board meeting on Monday, August 12, a plan to move start times throughout a school district in New Jersey caused a great deal of controversy.

Pleasantville High School

The idea would shift the start times of Pleasantville High School from 7:45 to 8 a.m., the middle school from 8:05 to 8:30 a.m., and the primary schools from 8:50 to 9 a.m., according to Pleasantville Schools Superintendent Marilyn Martinez during the meeting. Middle school would be dismissed at 3:20 p.m., elementary at 3:10 p.m., and high school at 2:50 p.m.

According to Martinez, the later start time would let our high school students possibly get at school on time and give them a chance to start their classes in a way that will engage them much more effectively. According to her, the modifications would also ease traffic between campuses, provide more flexibility to families whose children attend several schools, and make transitions easier and allow for breakfast.

Concerns were voiced by several parents regarding the effects on daycare, work schedules, and younger students.

“Did you consider the parents who have to be at work in the morning and cannot afford before-care or after-care?” said one parent.

Martinez stated that parents could drop off their children at 8:50 a.m. and pledged to take all necessary steps to guarantee a secure environment for youngsters to arrive and depart. If doors weren’t opened on time, she advised parents to get in touch with their school’s administration. She also said, “My office will attend to your needs if that’s not meeting them.”

According to a parent with four children in the district, later start times would result in longer days and later lunches for primary school pupils. They start at nine, have lunch at two, and get picked up at four? To be honest, I find that to be absurd and nonsensical. In addition, she voiced concerns over staffing and said that the plan only took older children into account.

Four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school are served by Pleasantville Public Schools. The proposal is still being discussed.