CNN: Kamala Harris introduced a bill to keep schools open three more hours

[erpowers]

US Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris introduced legislation this week intended to align the school day with the traditional workday to reduce the burden of childcare on working families.

The Family Friendly Schools Act would extend the school day three hours -- from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- during the school year and authorize $1.3 billion annually to allow more children access to summer programming.

snip

The legislation would award five-year grants of up to $5 million total to school districts to implement programs in elementary schools serving high numbers of low-income families. The grants aim to fund programs that would allow the schools to provide academic, athletic, and enrichment opportunities to students during the extended hours.

Harris's bill would allow schools to remain open during events such as parent-teacher conferences and professional development days, providing cost-free enrichment activities to students even on weekdays when there are no classes. Exceptions include Federal holidays, weekends, and emergencies.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/07/politics/kamala-harris-extend-school-day-bill-trnd/index.html

Even if this bill would not require students to take three extra hours of classes I do not support this bill. It seems unnecessary. It seems public libraries, with the exception of athletic activities, can and already do provide the services this bill is seeking to provide. Also, how about giving minors/students free access to museums, aquariums, and other similar places after school hours. In addition, how about setting up volunteering programs for minors/students at museums, aquariums, and similar places. Allows to kids to help out with activities. The hours of work and amount of responsibilities can increase with age.

[Tiggeroshii]

1. Definitely the wrong direction we need to be going with that.

[SoCalNative]

2. Not really

but the funding should cover ALL students and not just "low income."

[Tiggeroshii]

6. Yes really. Kids are stressed out enough. Keeping schools open another 3 hours will only make it

Last edited Fri Nov 8, 2019, 06:54 PM - Edit history (1)

worse. Take the time they already have and incorporate more extracurricular and recess in it. Reduce class time to only a few hours a day. This is largely based on my own observations as a former teacher.

[Grokenstein]

7. Read the article. Heck, just read the excerpt.

The grants aim to fund programs that would allow the schools to provide academic, athletic, and enrichment opportunities to students during the extended hours.

It's right there in the quote. This is NOT three additional hours of classes.

[Tiggeroshii]

10. I know that. It doesn't matter. Keeping these things at school is overbearing.

Last edited Fri Nov 8, 2019, 06:54 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm in concurrence with the OP: Create more opportunities at libraries and museums. Not in an environment where they already feel overwhelmed in. Most likely, they won't take advantage of it even if it were for their best interest. This is all based on my personal experience as a former teacher.

[left-of-center2012]

3. Who will pay for it?

We keep hearing of wonderful things and are usually told
it'll not cost you a penny.

"The rich will pay for it - we'll tax the rich"

"Mexico will pay for the wall"

"China will pay for the tariffs"

[Grokenstein]

8. Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?

This benefits all of society, not some megalomaniac's fascist wankery. As other posters point out, many communities already have something similar in place. And as is always relevant, it would be a drop in the bucket compared to our military budget. Maybe we could divert a little of THAT.

[left-of-center2012]

9. Who will pay for it?

[Mr.Bill]

4. They already have these kinds of programs at our local schools here.

Kids can play or use the time to study and do homework.

[Doodley]

5. Seems like a good idea to help parents who cannot easily provide supervision for their children,

for example, if they are working or commuting.

[radical noodle]

11. Taking kids to museums and aquariums sounds great

but there are many kids who are 100 miles or more from the nearest one. I'm not sure how I feel about this proposal, but museums and aquariums are sure not the answer for many poor, rural kids.

[Politicub]

12. Reduce the burden of childcare by providing childcare... not more hours at school.

It seems to me this would be an unpopular proposal for educators, too.

[renate]

13. It seems like a fine idea to me for kids up to a certain age

Otherwise parents are burdened with the super-high costs of child care for the first 10 or so years of a kid's life. That is such a long time. High costs are an expected part and parcel of having kids, of course, but this would be such a huge help for single or low-income parents who have to figure out how to keep their kids safe and supervised after school, or who have to figure out how to manage on professional development days when there's no school.

It's too bad that these programs would have to take place at school since that's a long time to spend there--it'd be nice to get away at the end of the school day--but they wouldn't be sitting in class.

[Peacetrain]

14. Extended day care would be wonderful... heck when I was in third grade in Chicago.. they

had all kinds of after school programs in art and dancing etc (not extended school) for students whose parents were still working at 3 PM ..and that was over 50 years ago..

[aaaaaa5a]

15. A desperate political stunt

for a once promising but now dying political campaign.

The answer for a lack of child-care is child-care. The answer for parents who always have to work is to increase wages. The answer to improving education is to provide better teacher pay and increase resources.

Her idea is ridiculous. And everyone including her knows it will never become reality.

[peggysue2]

16. I actually think after-school programs are a great idea

Most kids get out of school around 3:00 pm. Most parents work until 5:00-6:00 pm, oft times longer. This idea gives kids a safe harbor until parents can pick them up, rather than going home to an empty house or hanging around the streets. It's worrisome for a lot of parents to leave the kids on their own and to hire a sitter is frequently too expensive. This is particularly true for the younger kids in grade school, but even middle school kids would be a lot better off engaged in athletics or enrichment programs. Rather than getting into trouble. I'm having flashbacks about my youngest son .

Of course, it costs money, taxpayer dollars in a finite resource pool. But the way we spend our money reflects what we truly care about. Our kids (meaning everyone's kids) should be at the top of the list--their education, their safety, their healthy development.

We have neither the luxury nor moral leeway to ignore our most important asset: America's children, our future.

[rownesheck]

17. Why don't we shorten

the work day? We already work too goddamn many hours in this country.

[loyalsister]

19. Thank you!

Still there need to be options for people who want to work more hours or to have some down time without the kids. Providing child care offers some flexibility.

[gulliver]

18. It's an excellent idea.

Those extra hours at school could give the kids time to work their homework at school, participate in sports, etc. Fantastic idea.