Children are standing at bus stops in complete darkness. They are sleep deprived and don't have time in the morning for a proper breakfast. Not to mention the fact that our children get home from school several hours before their parents get home from work. My parents never attended school before 8 am nor did my grandparents. I myself had to be at school at 7:20 and felt that it was far too early to begin the school day. I never dreamed that they would make it even earlier for my generation's children. I should have dared to dream.
After some research I have found this to be a local problem. Most schools in the United States start at 8 or 8:30 am. Arizona recently passed a state law to keep schools from statring earlier than this. Even my own child wonders why she sees television shows, movies, and national news reports depicting kids her age arriving at school with the sun in the sky instead of near darkness.
There are several studies that illustrate the damage this does to a child's mind. It is counter to what educating the young is all about. Even the Chattanooga Times-Free Press recently ran an article about the negative effects of early school start times.
But does a rational person even need to see these studies? I don't. Not to know that it's wrong to wake my 12 year old up at 5:30 am so that she can catch a bus at 6 am and start school at 7 am. If the issue is bus drivers, then they should hire more. We all know the waste that goes on in public schools. We are tired of our children suffering for it.
REMEMBER: schools are there for our kids, NOT the other way around.