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If you can't trust a highschool aged kid to go to school on their own, early start times aren't going to change anything. Heck, you can drive them to the buildi

If you can't trust a highschool aged kid to go to school on their own, early start times aren't going to change anything. Heck, you can drive them to the building and watch them walk inside and they'll just walk right out the back. Delinquent kids dgaf. Now for the not totally delinquent but still up for sketchy borderline behaviour kids, finishing early and having couple hours between the end of class and when their parents come home from work is when all the dumb stuff happens. Sleeping in and getting home around the same time as their parents leaves a lot fewer opportunities for hijinks.

giantg2 4y ago
If the kids really have a hard time waking up (the point t of this law), then it's possible they over sleep. Many parents might not be comfortable with their kid cooking breakfast unsupervised too. If they're in after school activities and/or have a job, then it seem unlikely that they would get into trouble anyways. Pushing the time back will make these after school activities unfeasible for many, and limit opportunities.
- MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
  I'm failing to reconcile the image of a hypothetical teenager who is both so irresponsible and incompetent that you can't trust them to get up or make breakfast on their own without burning down the house while simultaneously being capable of having an after school job. If you can't leave them unsupervised in the mornings, surely they can't be left alone after school either. Net net, there's going to be some time they're unsupervised. May as well let them get some rest. Maybe the lack of sleep deprivation will even encourage better decision-making.
  - giantg2 4y ago
    They don't need to be the same kid. After school has after school activities. It also typically means they don't need to cook if the parents are home for dinner.
- bcrosby95 4y ago
  Use an alarm. Eat cereal. Use the microwave. These are all non problems that any half functioning adult or high school kid can think of solutions to.
  - giantg2 4y ago
    If the kids are really so sleep deprived that we need a law about it, then it's likely some will sleep past their alarms. Dictating diet by limiting options doesn't sound like a great plan to me. You know what else is a non-problem? The current start times.
    - MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
      I see the argument you are making and just want to suggest that this law is trying to help out the kids who are both capable of getting to school on their own regardless of start time, who would also benefit from the extra sleep. I suspect that this is the majority of the population of teenagers. Public schools are not really a free market where kids get to pick and choose based on features like start times. Most are selected because it is the only practical option for the family's means. In the absence of market pressure, using legislation to improve people's lives isn't wrong.
      - giantg2 4y ago
        If this is such a contentious issue, then why not allow the parents in each district to decide? That's really what I'm getting at - the state is making this decision for everyone by usurping the parents representation at the district level.
        MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
        If it is such a contentious issue, then why go through all the extra time and effort to decide it for each and every district? Parents still have a voice and vote at the state level do they not?
- em-bee 4y ago
  my ten year can cook breakfast, on a gas stove too. and besides there are plenty of breakfast options that don't require cooking. worst case, they reheat in the microwave what parents cooked earlier. if a 15 year old can't be unsupervised at home, then their parents have different problems besides letting them cook for themselves.
- throwaway742 4y ago
  These are high school students they are going to be living on their own soon. I think being able to feed themselves is a skill they should probably develop.
  - giantg2 4y ago
    One could argue that being at school at 8am is a valuable skill they should since most jobs require that (or earlier) start time.

giantg2 4y ago

If the kids really have a hard time waking up (the point t of this law), then it's possible they over sleep. Many parents might not be comfortable with their kid cooking breakfast unsupervised too. If they're in after school activities and/or have a job, then it seem unlikely that they would get into trouble anyways. Pushing the time back will make these after school activities unfeasible for many, and limit opportunities.

MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
I'm failing to reconcile the image of a hypothetical teenager who is both so irresponsible and incompetent that you can't trust them to get up or make breakfast on their own without burning down the house while simultaneously being capable of having an after school job. If you can't leave them unsupervised in the mornings, surely they can't be left alone after school either. Net net, there's going to be some time they're unsupervised. May as well let them get some rest. Maybe the lack of sleep deprivation will even encourage better decision-making.
- giantg2 4y ago
  They don't need to be the same kid. After school has after school activities. It also typically means they don't need to cook if the parents are home for dinner.
bcrosby95 4y ago
Use an alarm. Eat cereal. Use the microwave. These are all non problems that any half functioning adult or high school kid can think of solutions to.
- giantg2 4y ago
  If the kids are really so sleep deprived that we need a law about it, then it's likely some will sleep past their alarms. Dictating diet by limiting options doesn't sound like a great plan to me. You know what else is a non-problem? The current start times.
  - MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
    I see the argument you are making and just want to suggest that this law is trying to help out the kids who are both capable of getting to school on their own regardless of start time, who would also benefit from the extra sleep. I suspect that this is the majority of the population of teenagers. Public schools are not really a free market where kids get to pick and choose based on features like start times. Most are selected because it is the only practical option for the family's means. In the absence of market pressure, using legislation to improve people's lives isn't wrong.
    - giantg2 4y ago
      If this is such a contentious issue, then why not allow the parents in each district to decide? That's really what I'm getting at - the state is making this decision for everyone by usurping the parents representation at the district level.
      - MonkeyMalarky 4y ago
        If it is such a contentious issue, then why go through all the extra time and effort to decide it for each and every district? Parents still have a voice and vote at the state level do they not?
em-bee 4y ago
my ten year can cook breakfast, on a gas stove too. and besides there are plenty of breakfast options that don't require cooking. worst case, they reheat in the microwave what parents cooked earlier. if a 15 year old can't be unsupervised at home, then their parents have different problems besides letting them cook for themselves.
throwaway742 4y ago
These are high school students they are going to be living on their own soon. I think being able to feed themselves is a skill they should probably develop.
- giantg2 4y ago
  One could argue that being at school at 8am is a valuable skill they should since most jobs require that (or earlier) start time.