What would you answer?
This Wednesday is a legal holiday and as such, there is no bus transportation to and from school.
My daughter came home today with a note regarding the schedule for Wednesday with detailed instructions on pick-up and drop-off procedures, as well as the earlier dismissal times. She asked why there wasn’t bus transportation and I explained to her that it’s a non-Jewish holiday.
She then wanted to know why they would be getting out early if it isn’t a holiday we even celebrate. I had no answer. And she had a point.
Streets are deserted late in the afternoon on legal holidays. Teachers have no where to be on that day. It’s a mere two days before Chanukah vacation (another discussion….). And most parents are working/learning as any other day.
Is there anyone out there who knows why schools have early dismissal?
A baffled parent
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected])
if a parent does not know the answer why they have a changed schedule she should ask the school not the lakewood scoop. I’m sure it must have to do with transportation availability.
The reason the school has early dismissal is because since many parents have multiple children in the school – they should only have to come once – therefore they use the dismissal time of the primary class to dismiss everyone
it simple. they have tied the english curriculum to the non jewish holiday schedule (i.e. public schools don’t provide english education on those days, so why should we)
The public schools are not even open now they are on break until January 2nd.
The reason for early dismissal is that some bus companies are able to get drivers for us but the drivers also want to be home at a normal time so that they can also enjoy there holiday.
I don’t know about you but have you ever tried picking up all your kids from different schools when there is no busing it is total chaos. So this early dismissal is to help parents out.
Hi,
My daughters also attend this school and we received the same note. If you think about it for a minute, the answer should be obvious. Many of the bus drivers are celebrating the holiday and rightfully should not have to be driving their bus routes. Chanuka licht have to be lit, and if there was regular dismissal, the streets would be clogged up with carpooling which would potentially cause many people to miss the zman hadlaka. In previous years when December 25 was not on Chanuka, we had regularly scheduled dismissal.
I believe the reason the girls get out a bit earlier than the rest of Chanukah is many families have boys to pick-up too or busing for them.. so the schools have to give ample time between the boys and girls schools – also there is something called Nittel Nacht so maybe there is an inyan not to learn on their holidays!
A no bus dismissal for most schools takes a very long time. Have you ever had to wait on a carpool line for close to an hour? I did and still had to go to wait by 2 other school’s carpool lines too. We are not equipped for all our schools to run with carpool/no bus dismissal and therefore it creates chaos. We deal with it once or twice a year but instead of there being regular dismissal chaos there is havoc for close to 2 hours in the large schools. The best way to combat the havoc is to just start dismissal earlier. Otherwise you will have children still standing outside waiting for their ride at 6pm. I think it’s smart to end earlier so everyone can get home at a regular time. Nothing at all to do with their holiday…
Shout out to my daughters school – even though they are dismissing at 2:00 (and I will have to leave work early) they were somehow able to arrange for privately funded busing on the way home. Yasher koach!
I’m a working parent. I also have early dismissal today. My spouse is complaining too!
To the original letter writer:
I’m sorry but I don’t feel bad for you. Public school parents were saying the same thing when thier kids had off for three days for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and they had to find childcare. It’s all about living together and learning to respect each other. They get some days for thier holidays we get some days for our holidays. It’s just the way the world works.
You may argue that public schools don’t need to give off on RH and YK becasue it doesn’t affect you directly but think about the frum employees (myself included) who didn’t have to take off an extra three days becasue the board of Ed was nice enough to give us those days.
Please don’t complain every time you are inconvenienced. We have to work together with everyone to make a schedule that works for this town. I think we can give them two days a year.
Thank you Esther! You so nicely expressed what I was feeling. Tolerance and Respect are the cornerstones of all our religions
A non jewish co worker of mine told me he’s not coming in tomorrow. I asked him why not? He said It’s his holiday. I answered “I don’t get it, today is MY holiday and I came in???
One more thing…
If my argument about RH and YK did not convince you.
What do you think they say about us on Taanis Esther and Purim when the busses taking public school kids to and from school are stuck in traffic all day. The finally come to school an hour to two hours late and all the bus duty staff has to stay in school until 5:30 or 6 because it is our holiday. How is that fair?
My point again is that sometimes everybody needs to be inconvenienced but we have to figure out a way to work with each other and respect each other.
As a school administrator let me explain a few points.
1) The bus companies only allow their busses not needed for PS runs on Purim. I’m not sure what you meant by waiting until 5 or 6 o’clock.
2) To the original letter writer, the reason there is no bussing on Dec. 25th is that since our government is very generous and provides us with free transportation so we don’t need to take our children each day to school. They run the schedule the way their calendar works. This is golus and when we get something for free we say thank you and don’t complain when we don’t get it.
3) you may ask why can’t the school provide “private” paid bussing?
Answer: Parents will say why are you charging us?
When the time comes and we ALL realize what it means to take responsibility on our own lives, children and expenses the world will be a happier place.
A Freilachen Chanukah!!!!!
@bewildered, try to think. Hasn’t it ever happened that you didn’t go to work on our Holidays? I.e. succos, pesach, shavuos, tisha b’av, Purim…
but my daughter has frum bus driversssss!
so there should be bussing. and no change in schedule!!!
To Esther:
Get off your high horse.
You pretend to care about everyone and want everyone else to do the same, but in reality you sound like the most self centered person here.
You explicitly say that you ‘don’t feel bad’ for the letter writer because somehow, her child getting dismissed earlier (without bussing, which she WAS NOT complaining about) helps the non Jews?
And yet you want the entire non Jewish parent body to find daycare for their kids for Rh and yk just so YOU can save yourself from taking an extra 3 days off….
Wow.
Doesn’t sound like you are ‘learning to respect’ anyone but yourself.
I actually appreciate when the schools dismiss early on non-Jewish holidays because even though I work at a frum business most of our clientele are non-Jews. We’re closed on all the secular holidays including December 25th, January 1st, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day and it’s the only time I can spend with my kids. We’re making donuts today, something I wouldn’t be able to do otherwise since I don’t have off during chanukah vacation and I have to get a babysitter. Same with winter break! So even though we don’t celebrate their holidays I do enjoy the extra time with my kids (gasp!)