In 1962 singer Connie Francis released what became her final top 10 hit – Vacation. It begins:
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N! In the summer sun! Put away the books, we’re outta school!
Oh, wait, this is Arizona. It’s not “put away the books, we’re outta school.” It’s get out your books kids, you are going back to school in the middle of the summer sun!
When we first moved to AZ and our daughter began school in Peoria U.S.D in the early 1990s the school year began, like virtually the rest of the country did and many still do, after Labor Day.
I don’t recall exactly when it began to creep to before Labor Day into the end of August. Then earlier and earlier into August until now when many districts are beginning the school year at the end of July!
The temperature for the first two days of school July 31st was 108° and Aug. 1st 109°. The forecast for the first full week of school is a “low” of 111° and a high predicted to be 115°! The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning for AZ, which will no doubt be continuing if these predictions are accurate.
This means no outdoor P.E., no outdoor recess for our children. Locked in a school building all day long with no truly substantial breaks. I can’t help but wonder how many of, especially, the boys will be disciplined (or recommended for drugs?) because they are unable to run off their excess energy. What about the fall football teams that routinely begin practice several weeks before school begins? Bad enough in August but now into July?!?
There is also a psychological impact to beginning school in the middle of the summer. The heat just seems to have less of an … emotional … impact when it is just beginning in late May or early June as opposed to after dealing with months of +100° days.
Back in my days on the PUSD board as the start dates crept earlier and earlier into August, I requested that the Calendar Committee offer the board calendars with several alternative start dates. To my way of thinking that would be options in August and September after Labor Day. What we received was basically a choice between Vanilla, Vanilla Bean and French Vanilla ice cream with start dates all within a week or so of each other and ever earlier in August.
For all my years involved in education at every level, I have never received a viable explanation from the educrats as to WHY they continually push for an ever earlier start, a hottest part of the summer start, to the school year.
Back in the day one of the “explanations” i.e. excuses, was to align with the universities’ summer schedule but a quick check at the time showed this did not hold true. Back in those days most districts had “early release” once a month but now many, if not most, districts have early release EVERY week for “professional development.” But I digress, that’s a subject for another op-ed.
The other excuse I’ve heard for every earlier start dates is in order to offer longer breaks during the course of the school year. However ARS 15-341.01 requires a minimum school year of 180 days and the minimum required number of instructional hours is also mandated in statute regardless of the start date. But sadly our elected school board members rather than governing for the parents and taxpayer seem to be rubber stamping whatever the educrats expect when it comes to these summer start dates.
As school districts put Maintenance and Operations Overrides on the ballots this year voters should be asking administration how much opening schools in the hottest part of summer impacts the utility expenses. We all see how much it impacts our homes.
To me one of the biggest disappointments is how so many of our charter schools have just followed along with this trend to start school in the middle of summer. Charter schools were created to give AZ parents choices for their children’s education. IMHO that should include offering options other than these horrific summer starts.
I believe in local control; that government closest to the constituents is usually the best governance. I have written about this issue in the past and yet it just keeps getting worse. When it comes to school boards members refusing to address this issue and abusing our children by sending them to school in the hottest part of summer it is long past time for our legislators to step in with statute that will protect our children.
In the words of Connie Francis:
“We’re on vacation, till the start of the Fall! V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N! We’re gonna have a ball!”
Diane Douglas – AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction 2015-2019; Peoria Unified School District Governing Board 2005-2012, President 2008 & 2009.