I understand the reasoning. I really do my sister is a teacher and so was my dad. However, the school down the street from me is a car ride or walk only school. So parents who have to be at work might have to drop off before.

I started taking my neighbor boys to school a couple of months ago. They wait at the bus stop with there brother and my dk's and then were walking the three or four blocks to school. Well I didn't see the sense in it since its not really out of my way to drop them off on my way to work. I think there mom now works two jobs and they don't have a second car because someone used to take them. She gave me permission.

Anyway when I do this they get there aroung 10-15 min early and have to stand out in the bitter cold. Not only that but the door is only a sidewalk away from where other parents drop off kids and kids goofing off could end up in the street. I guess thats why i think it would be less liability for the school just to let them in. I told the parent tonight and he did not know this. It's his job now to obviously handle it if he sees fit. But I was just wondering what other schools do?

By Cocoabutter on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 09:13 pm:

Our school has set forth the "rule" that parents are not to drop off children before 8:20 AM, 15 minutes before the start of classes. The school has advised that there will be no playground teacher on duty prior to that time, and the school cannot guarantee the safety of the children prior to that time. To my knowledge, it has not been a problem.

The reason that there is no staff available most likely has to do with what responsibilities are outlined in their contract. If the school lets them in, someone on duty has to be responsible for supervising them.

By Debbie on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 09:36 pm:

My boys start school at 9am. The rule is that you can not drop your child off before 8:30am. The school is not open, and there is no one on duty. They reinforced this rule several times at the beginning of the year.

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 09:40 pm:

My old school was about the same as Cocoabutter's. Ditto also regarding staff. If they let them in, then someone has to supervise them. Frankly, no teacher has time to do that AND make preparations for the day without being there everyday at 6am. In addition, MANY people would use it as free "babysitting" believe or not if there was no cut-off. Our school has so BTDT. Parents would drop them off SUPER early because they're sadly ready to be rid of them. It's bad seeing kids freezing outside because their parents drop them off so early, but you can't let one in and not all of them.

By Vicki on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 09:43 pm:

Our schools have the same policy. You are there too early, you are outside.

By Tripletmom on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 09:43 pm:

My dd starts school at 8:40am.The rule is that you can not drop off before 8:30am.There is no one on duty,the school is still closed.If the weather is bad they want the children there no earlier than 8:30am and they will let them in early.

By Luvn29 on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 09:49 pm:

Our school begins at 8:30. Buses start arriving around 7:30, and parents are not allowed to drop students off before then. Students are to go straight to their rooms and sit in the hall against the wall next to their rooms. If they are eating breakfast, they go straight to the cafeteria. Teachers and support staff are separated out into teams and take turns being on "bus duty". There is one teacher in each grade level monitoring students, and a teacher at each door ensuring the children make it into the school safely.

At the middle school, all students are to go into the cafeteria and wait at assigned tables. Again, teachers take turns on bus duty. During nice weather, the students are allowed to go outside until the bell rings. Again, teachers are assigned outside to watch the students.

This seems to work well. However, when I went to school in Ohio, we had to wait outdoors till a certain time... I really like the way our schools here handle the situation.

By Mommmie on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 11:21 pm:

Public school, the kids stand outside until 10 minutes before school starts. Kids get dropped off an hour before school starts, but they are on their own.

Private school we are in, the kids go inside to a commons area (different areas for different divisions) and there is supervision like an hour before school starts. The high school kids sell breakfast as part of an economics class they take (where they learn to run a business).

By Trina~moderator on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 06:42 am:

In our district (public) kids are not supposed to be dropped off more than 20 mins. before school starts. They go directly into the gym and teachers are on duty to supervise.

When I was teaching (private) students had to stay outside until the morning bell rang. Teachers took turns doing "Bus Duty" before and after school.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 07:43 am:

Elementary school bell rang at 8:25 and school started at 8:30. Couldn't drop off before 8:15. If it was nice out, they stayed outside. If it was raining or bitterly cold, then they could wait inside.

Middle school started at 7:43. Weren't supposed to drop off before 7:15, I think. (It didn't matter. We could never get there by 7:30, let alone earlier.) They had to wait outside, until probably about 7:30, or so.

At the high school, it seems that no matter when I drop off my kids, they can get into the building. Except for when exams were going on, they can wait inside the building. When exams were going on, then they didn't want kids inside the building making noise, so Emily had to wait for Sarah, outside, that time.

By Colette on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 07:49 am:

Most likely the reasoning is, if they start letting kids in 20 minutes early, then people will start to come even earlier than that. At my school, you are not supposed to drop off kids before 8:20a and it is stated the doors will not open before then, nor will supervision be provided. We still have parents lining up at 8am and sometimes before trying to drop off early. Once in a while, it will be an emergency, and the parent can make arrangements with the principal to have the child sit in her office until school starts, but that's an exception rather than the rule. The general rule of thought is you do not want your children waiting outside unsupervised, don't drop them off early.

By Kaye on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 08:17 am:

Our school starts at 8, you can drop off at 7:45 at this time, they go and wait in the gym till the bell rings. But if the doors are literally locked until then, so if kids come early I guess they hang out in front. This is also where the cars drop off. I don't think we have many parents who do that. Our tardy bell doesn't ring until 8:15, so if they are dropped off as soon as they can be, it is a full 30 minutes before they are really in class. Most parents around here with conflicts have their kids in daycare prior to, or they buddy with a neighbor.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 08:53 am:

Public elementary, majority are walkers or parent drop offs. My girls go in at 8 to help set up for breakfast. They eat their breakfast and then at 8:15 the cafeteria opens up to the rest of the students and the girls help the younger kids with their breakfast. Opening up packages, milks, getting napkins and such. The GYM is also opened at 8:15 and they are required to sit on the bleachers in their sections until the first bell rings which is 8:45. Both are supervised by the recess aids.

Like Dawn our high school seems to always be open. You can go there any time of night and the doors near the weight room/gym are always unlocked, I think this is because they staff an all night clean up crew, so unless it is a weekend/holiday they are always in the building. We drop off the kids about an hour before school starts (avoiding the rush of students, terrible to drive in) and the cafeteria is the place to be/hang out until the bell rings but all the teachers have an open door policy, as in if the door is open you are welcome. There are several sports at the kids school that have the kids doing early morning lifting/workouts so there are a lot of kids at school at 7 in the morning....

By Tayjar on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 10:30 am:

Our school has a strict policy that you can't drop off before 7:40. School starts at 8:00. All kids, no matter what the weather is, must go straight to the gym and sit in in their assigned rows. They can talks and visit but there is no running around. However, if you do drop off your kids earlier than 7:40, the doors are unlocked and the kids are still to go to the gym. There are always teachers walking around in there because it's sort of connects to another area. This is at the grade school.

At the jr and sr high, there are kids there as early at 6:00 a.m. There is no real supervision of the kids other than to make sure no one is running, fighting, etc.

By Cybermommyx4 on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 04:37 pm:

I wish OUR schools started late like all of yours....DDs high school starts at 7:40, and the DSs Elementary school starts at 7:45. Anyone getting to the high school early can get in, but the little ones at the elementary school have to stay outside until at least 7:40, and the first bus drop off is at 7:10. And where we live, it is COLD! So, I take the little ones with me to the high school to drop off DD at 7:35, and it takes about 10 minutes to get back to the elem. school so they are "just in time" and do not have to be out when it is that cold. But I feel sorry for those who can't work around that schedule and/or have to rely on the bus.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 04:58 pm:

Schools start all different times, around Sheboygan.

For my kids:

Elem: 8:30
Middle: 7:43
High: 8:00

Elementary schools start all different times, too. I was thinking that was because of bus needs, but I'm not sure.

By Tarable on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 05:20 pm:

Well at the schools (public) that my girls go to there are always kids waiting for the doors to open. At the middle school the kids are all waiting outside, some for an hour or so. But at the elementary we are not supposed to drop off kids until 7:30 but those that get there earlier can get inside the foyer to stay warm and dry and there is a teacher there about 7:15 or so.

The schools around here open at different times for different levels.

Elem starts at 8:10 but can drop off anytime after 7:30
Middle starts at 8:50 but doors open at 7:50
High school starts at 7:30 and I have no clue when the doors open.

I can't imagine making teens get up that early.

By Melanie on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 06:23 pm:

Our elementary school starts at 8:30. Yard supervision begins at 8:00. All our classrooms open to a courtyard, so the kids are outside until their teacher arrives and opens their class. That's usually not a big deal since it doesn't typically get very cold here. When it rains, they can hang out under cover until their class is open.

By Debbie on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 06:39 pm:

Our schools start at different times here too. It is because of the buses.

Elementary starts at either 8:30 or 9:00
middle school starts at 8:00
high school starts at 7:45

The buses pick up middle school and high school students at the same time. Then, after they drop them off at their schools, they pick up elementary students.