44 Sign Petition Against Start Time Change

The Barrington petition that opposes changing the school start times has been signed by 44 people as of this morning, Feb. 21.  Click here to see the petition.

The petition was posted on the GoPetition website on Feb. 7 – meaning approximately 3 people on average have been signing it each day.

The Feb. 9 Patch story that introduced the petition and its supporters has 55 comments -- including a mix of pro and con arguments. Click above to see the original story and those comments.

Many of the comments support the argument that parents need to take control of their children’s sleep, not the schools. Others indicate that a significant number of parents firmly believe in the “science” behind advocating for more sleep for teens.

The science has its detractors as well, the comments show.  What most of the comments show is that there is still a need for healthy and well-focused debate on moving school start times.

Are you still on the fence about moving back the start time for high school and middle school students? Do you favor making younger children start each school day earlier? Or maybe the whole issue should be left alone – especially with the success many Barrington student already demonstrate?

The Health and Wellness Committee of the Barrington School Committee is preparing a survey to gauge the temper of the community. It will, in particular, attempt to get reactions from teachers, students and parents.

In the meantime, the petition opposing a change in school start times offers one position on this issue. Take a look at the petition. It is another source of information for Barrington.