“As a parent I’m making the choice between my son’s academic and mental health,” she said. “That feels really bad to both of us.”
She read a message from him to district leaders that noted it will often be dark by the time he leaves school.
“Also I can say goodbye to having friends over after school,” he shared.
Byrd-Felker was one of six people to speak to the board about the changes Monday, in addition to two written comments. Sennett Middle School teacher Erin Proctor shared a petition that one of her students started, seeking to make the schedule 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It garnered 140 student signatures in a short period of time, she said.
The later dismissal times for those middle schoolers also means some students won’t have crossing guards on their walk home, given the schedules of those city-filled positions. Crossing guard supervisor Alex Stewart wrote in an email that the time changes, specifically at Henderson and Anana, “has resulted in vacancies within the program.”