Christiansburg (WSLS) - On Tuesday, dozens of parents in Montgomery County spoke out against plans to change school start times. Previously, the school board voted to send elementary school students to school earlier and push back the time kids in secondary schools attend class.
Concerned parents packed the school board meeting. Nearly 30 people signed up to speak out against plans to change school start times.
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In 2015, the school board issued a survey to parents which included questions about potential impacts of start times on topics such as academic performance and daycare.
Results show nearly 1500 responses from parents at the elementary school level and close to 1500 responses from families of students at the secondary level. The survey shows that the majority of parents with younger students were against the plan to change start times while the majority of middle and high school parents surveyed showed support for it.
The majority of people who attended the school board meeting said changing the start time would negatively impact families.
They wanted the school board to hear their voices and reconsider their decision.
The school board extended the public address portion of the meeting from 30 minutes to nearly two hours to allow people to voice their concerns. At the end of the meeting, work groups who were examining potential impacts of implementing the new start times presented their findings to the board. Topics included school nutrition programs and student safety.
No decision was made at the meeting, the school board decided to further examine the start times at a later date.