Kids are in school too long (Opinion)

New Jersey has a new law, a trial for five schools to start the school day no earlier than 8:30am. The reason is a recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which stated the obvious, young people need more sleep. OK great. But starting the school day later could actually have the unintended consequence of kids getting to bed later than they are now.

Homework, sports, extra curricular activities won't change and in my opinion they are as important as classroom time. If the politicians who read one recommendation and decided to pass a law really wanted to help families, kids and ensure the education system was producing well-rounded students, they would explore the entire package, not just the school start times.

We need to empower teachers to do what they do best: teach, empower, coach and guide students to be the best they can be. Let's talk to educators about how the school day should be constructed not Trenton insiders looking for a headline. I agree that the day should start later, but if it doesn't end earlier and we put an equal emphasis on out-of-classroom activities, we'll be right back where we started.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

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