Kindergarten AM/PM session assignment in our public school

Question

My kids' school timings are 8am-2:15 pm for 1st thru 5th grades. K has 2 sessions AM: 8-11:30m, PM: 11:30-3pm.

Assignment of Kindergarten session is by lottery. The AM being in high demand. If we have a kid in PM session and another in a higher grade, then we need to go to school four times: 8 am, 11:30 am, 2:15 pm and 3 pm. We requested the prinicpal to give priority in AM session for Kinder students who have an older sibling in the school. This would reduce traffic at dropoff times. Principal refused. We let it go.

Registration happened in March, AM & PM sessions were assigned by lottery. All later enrollees got PM by default.

At the orientation today, many parents asked the principal to assign AM session based on student's family and daycare situation. PM session is tough on working parents as they need to find daycare in 2 chunks before and after school. Principal said he would look into it.

I immediately asked him how could they change the assignment procedure so late, and after refusing to allow sibling priority. Siblings getting priority is common in other area schools.

Now, it has come down to an assumption that kids with grandparents or stay-at-home parents can be put into PM session, while kids with both parents working shoudl get into AM session, as they "need" it more.

I just don't think this is right. I again went and met the principal, and he continues to say we are working to do what is best for all parents.

Do you think it is fair to assign AM session to some kids just because they need daycare outside of school hours?

Answer 1

While I agree that it is wrong to dismiss the results of the lottery this late in the game, I do think that in the future they should take need into consideration when assigning slots.  For some parents, day care is very difficult and the school should be doing what they can to help.

Answer 2

Those are some really messed up times.  I think they need to change the hours of everything!  I can't believe the school day is so short!  My daughter's school goes from 8:00am to 3:15pm.  Kindergarten is an all-day program.  But the school offers 4-year old Kindergarten as well which is a half-day program.  It runs half the length of the normal school day.  In other words AM 4K is 8:00am to 11:00am and PM 4K is 12:15pm to 3:15pm.

Since there is no bus transportation at your school, do the daycares in the area just come and get the kids?  My providor will pick up my daughter from school if she's in town when school lets out or she rides the bus to her house since it is several miles outside of town.  On school days where there is a delay, she gets picked up at the daycare providors house or she will bring the kids into school.

If you're a stay-at-hom-mom I could see it as being inconvenient to have to drive to the school so much, but then again, you did say the school is less then a mile away.

Answer 3

Lottery method I think is the fairest way in your school's situation.  I am a stay-at-home mom and my youngest had PM Kindergarten due to bus routes.  

Probably, the school is trying to be as fair as possible to everyone.  Having said that, they absolutely should NOT change the results of the lottery.  Going back on their word that you would be assigned AM is unprofessional.

Were there other parents in the same boat as you?  You should bring up your concerns to your local school board.  It seems like this problem would be happening yearly to families having a kindergartner and an older sibling.  

Answer 4

Just keep fighting.  DEMAND WHAT YOU THINK IS BEST.  Don't settle for 'no' or 'we're trying.'  It's what my mom does, and so far we've always gotten what we wanted (I'm going into grade eight and my brother is going into grade six).  Don't settle for mediocrity. Just do everything that you can to get what you now is best for your child.  You've got to have the backbone to stand up for yourself and your child.

Answer 5

I am a SAHM and wanted AM class as well and got it because everyone here wanted PM or all day.

That said I do feel that the working (outside of the home) parents should get some preference. If you live that close to the school it is a lot easier, even 4 times a day, to go and pick up your child than to try and leave work, or pay through the nose for childcare that includes transportation. There are a LOT of employers who are not considerate of these issues and a lot of people who do not have a choice but to work. This is part of why my husband and I wanted me to stay home so I could take my kids and pick them up myself, not a daycare and not a bus. I had to go 3 times a day when my youngest was in kindergarten but so be it. We also lived close to the school and it was just one year, next year your child wil lbe in all day so I would let it go.

With schools it is important to pick your battles and this is one I would give on. I am a bit shocked you expected them to change the whole time schedule to accomodate you. They cannot overlap the sessions or they would have about 50 kids at once and it would be chaos with them getting out and coming in at the same time. And where I lvie the time school starts etc. is a district wide policy not per school, so they cannot change the whole district start times to accomodate one school. If you keep on  with this the pricipal will dismiss you before they even know what you want, like I said choose your battles or when you have a real problem they will not listen to you.

Answer 6

I think that to many parents are afraid of letting the school bus system transport their children. Many daycares and schools work in conjunction to transport the kids back and forth. No matter what they do someone is going to be upset.  The bigger problem I have is with the short day for grades 1-5. They should get out at the same time as the pm kinders. In all the schools my children have been in it works that way.

Answer 7

did your child have to take a test before kindergarden started? just curious because the schools in the district i work at used to have AM/PM classes adn all the parent's thought it was a total random draw where your kid would end up AM or PM and in reality it was the kids who where a little far behind went in the morning because they needed to get the kids fresh when they just wake up because their brain works better and the PM where the kids that where a little more advanced and ahead that's why our schools over here you can't make a request if your kid is an early bird or late bird but now for the past 2 years they go all day 1/2 day from Aug-Oct then Nov on they go all day from 815am-2pm just something to look into and if they principal is giving you grief about what session your kid is in even though you need it at a certain time and it's not like how our schools are with placement then take it to the district office they'll listen to you there or get a group of parents to tell the principal that you'll take it to the district office

Answer 8

The timings are for sure not convenient. But, I don't see how any system other than lottery is going to work? First come first served won't because there will be hordes of parents on the first day of registration, and hard to decide who is "first".

"Need based"? how can the school decide on who needs the AM session more? Are parents going to write applications explaining their situation? Then, you also should write one explaining  why AM suits you better as a SAHM!

Our school does it by lottery, and there are a FEW very special cases who get into AM without lottery (this year there is a family where one parent is very ill).

what your prinicpal can do is try to arrange onsite daycare. but, giving students AM session just because both parents are working! I don't even think it can be legal. Take it to the school board and up higher.

and, for this year, they definitely cannot change the method of assignment so late. Unless,they are adding an extra AM class.

Answer 9

well the facts will all be the same youll be at the school a lot. but if your kid gets witched to PM you drop your kid off at 11:30 go home pick up the older one and hang out in the parking lot waiting for the other one he can survive 45 min. he can play on the playground