BOSTON (WHDH) - Parents and children went out in the cold Sunday, taking over a tree lighting ceremony in West Roxbury to protest the Boston Public School time changes.
The parents at the protest said the start time for their children’s elementary school will change from 9:30 a.m. to 7:15 a.m.
“This is not healthy for little kids,” said Alejanda Hung. “This was a flawed process and they didn’t take any input from our families or school.”
Many protesters took direct aim at Mayor Marty Walsh. One of the signs held told him to “wake up.”
“I would say to Mayor Walsh, please come listen to us. “Halt implementation; it is not ready for roll out. He needs to listen to the communities,” Hung said. “We want to work with you. We want to hear from you. We haven’t seen you.”
Walsh arrived at the ceremony and talk to several of the concerned parents. He assured them that the city’s decision is on hold for now.
City leaders said they made the change based on research that showed teenagers perform better academically when they sleep in. They added that this would also decrease transportation costs.
Walsh said not all parents are against the changes.
“I don’t want to put parents against each other. It’s something we need to work with the parents to solve. That’s the bottom line – we have to work with the parents and solve this issue,” said Walsh.
City leaders will hold meetings with parents this week at several locations including on in West Roxbury Monday.
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