Ridgefield Letter: Childhood is fleeting enough -- Ridgefield's school day is extraordinarily long

Like many other mothers in town, I'm having great difficulty accepting the idea that, come kindergarten, my five-year-old won't be home until after 4 o'clock during the week — or that she'll be in school for almost SEVEN hours a day! That seems like an insane amount of time at that age, and as far as my research could tell, is possibly the longest in the state.

Is anyone aware that Ridgefield elementary school kids are in class a whopping 20 minutes longer every day than their peers in New Canaan, Greenwich, Westport, and Wilton? That’s 60 more hours a year those parents get to spend with their children — 60 more hours that they get to spend exploring life outside the classroom. In neighboring Lewisboro, children in this age group attend school for 6 hours and 35 minutes, but the district has been looking into shortening that even further and dismissing earlier than their current 3:40 pm, which the superintendent has publicly acknowledged is too late.

I can only imagine what he’d think about a 4 pm dismissal time. That is egregiously late for elementary school. In the winter, it's dark by the time Barlow, Farmingville, and Veteran's Park kids schlep off the school bus, completely exhausted. How are they supposed to play in the snow with her siblings? How can parents discover new things with them and enrich their minds outside of the classroom? They have time for dinner, homework, a bath, and bed. That’s it. They might as well be carrying briefcases and contributing to a 401(k).

In many neighboring towns, the elementary school days are shorter than at middle and high school. Those towns recognize the benefits of education outside of the classroom and family bonding for kids who go to bed at 8 o’clock. These aren’t teenagers, they’re little kids. It’s bad enough their summers are now less than two months long.

I understand that not every school can start at an ideal time. I understand not everyone can be bused at once. But if Ridgefield’s elementary schools have to start as late as 9:10 am, they should be getting out at 3:40 pm — not 4 o’clock. If those 20 minutes are shaved off all six elementary schools simultaneously, it shouldn’t impact bus costs one bit. But it will benefit the children greatly.

From what I've been told, the shift to an almost seven-hour school day was made by a former superintendent for reasons unknown. I don’t understand how anyone could have thought this was a good idea, but now — a few months after Dr. Baldwin’s departure — is the time to reevaluate. Please tell our school board and Interim Superintendent Paddyfote to think hard about what is best for children this young.  Compared to the start times issue, this is an easy change to make. Now is the time to make it. They grow up too fast these days as it is. 

-Laura Liberti, Ridgefield 

Laura Liberti, Ridgefield

 

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Submitted by Ridgefield, CT

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