With the start of the 2017-18 Cobb County School District academic year exactly two weeks from today, a group of parents has begun a petition drive demanding schedule changes in the future.
The group, which calls itself Cobb Parents Against July School Start Date, has gathered more than 2,000 signatures thus far on the change.org platform, and here’s its main complaint:
“. . . we feel that the start date of July 31 crosses a symbolic line that both threatens the nature of the traditional summer vacation and the developmental promise a more traditional calendar affords our children and families.”
Among the suggested changes in the calendar include cancelling either the September or February week-long breaks and ending the school year later in May (recent graduation ceremonies ended before Memorial Day).
The group, which did not reveal member identification or provide other contact information, also mentioned that the lone school board member to oppose the July 31 start date is Scott Sweeney, who represents the Walton and Wheeler high school districts of East Cobb.
Many of the comments indicated a desire to enjoy a traditional summer vacation from school, especially with the hottest days and months of the season likely still to come.
A commenter named Sarajane Fletcher, who said the last of her three children is finishing at Walton this year, wrote on the petition site that the current balanced calendar adds more stress for students and parents, with added homework and reading assignments given during longer breaks:
“The kids are in a pressure cooker during the year with no escape, so what does Cobb do, just slowly take away their summer vacation! “
The petition organizers did not indicate if, how or when the petition results might be delivered to school board members. The board next meets on July 20.
