Petition Against Alabama Mandated School 

Calendar 
Why it’s unfair to current and future students 
 
Recently a few lawmakers in Alabama have discussed a possible bill that would move 
school times in middle and high schools from 7am to 3pm to 8am to 5 or 5:30 pm, which seems 
really nice until you take a closer look at what might happen to students. We, 7th graders in Ms. 
Wigley’s ELA class at Chelsea Middle School, submit the following petition against this potential 
bill. 
 
Teenagers Need Consistency 
Students have gotten used to the old schedule already so what would be the point in 
changing it if we've already gotten used to it? Teenagers need consistency. Many of us have stuff 
to do, and this schedule change might possibly interrupt our plans that we have set. For example 
there are many extracurricular activities that students are involved in both in and outside of 
school. If many students already have to drive 30 minutes to get practice, these activities will 
have to run later and later, leading to less and less sleep and more and more problems during 
class. 
 
Teenagers Need Breaks 
The representatives said that students would have a longer summer which seems amazing 
and looks really cool on paper. However, in actuality they would shorten our breaks, such as 
Christmas and Thanksgiving break, which is really horrible because people wouldn’t get breaks 
from work during school. Also holiday breaks are usually the only time people get to travel to see 
family in other parts of the state and country. How are we ever going to be able to see our loved 
ones without these breaks? In return for those weeks being taken away all we get given back is 
the rest of August and then in September we have to go back to school. It is not a good tradeoff.  
 
Teenagers Need Safety 
I​ f summer time is extended, it will cause school hours to change, leading some to go home 
at 5 or 5:30. During those times it gets dark really fast during most of the school year. Some 
children live close to the middle school, to the point where they can walk to their homes. This 
could end in disaster if it’s dark outside, and there are cars around. Because of how much traffic 
there is at the main road that goes in front of the middle school. Parents usually get off at 5:00. 
So if there happens to be a child on their way home. That could possibly risk the lives of not only 
the parents, but the child’s life too. Also, when children get older they will have jobs that will 
probably make them have to get up earlier. The law would make it difficult for them to get used 
to earlier times because of how much they would be used to waking up at 8 when they were in 
school, instead of earlier times depending on the job.  
 
Teenagers Need School Attendance 
This would not only affect us after school hours but before too. Some children are not able 
to ride the bus in the morning so their parents take them to and from school. But if the 
parent/guardian are occupied with a job they possibly could not be able to take their children 
to/from school. This means that the child would not be able to get to school. This will affect the 
school’s attendance record. The attendance record can determine how much money the school 
makes. The less children that come to school affects the attendance. The less children, the less 
taxes put into the school which affects the state overall. I know it sounds dramatic, but these are 
real issues that we could face if this law goes into effect. 
 
Students Need Teachers Who Care 
Students also need time to also take a rest during the school year because students would 
feel stressed. We know how stress has affected students in recent years. Budget cuts that mean 
fewer teachers and resources have created more stress for students. Alabama is already at the 
bottom of the nationwide rankings in education. This law could cause teachers to leave, meaning 
larger class sizes and less teachers who care about us. When school tax money goes down due to 
attendance issues the school won't be able to afford good teachers. Alabama’s teacher rate is 
already low so why would we want to put the state lower? If we are low on teachers then we will 
be desperate so are standards will go down. With low standards for teachers we won't have good 
ones. With bad teachers then there are bad test scores. From that perspective the planning on 
how this longer summer will affect students is all wrong.  
 
Students Need Motivation
Changing school times can change student motivation and morale for the worse which will 
also represent our state badly. A lot of students hate school, so, if we change school times, then 
that can change their motivation to do better. If students try less hard than they already are, 
then that will look very bad on our schools.   
If representatives change the school hours and our holidays to not allow students and 
teachers to have breaks in order to stay motivated and not burnt out, then the representatives 
will look very bad and show that they are selfish and only care about money and not students 
which will be our future workers. Think about this, would you want “dumb” people who 
work/represent our state or smart people who represent our state as intelligent and motivated? 

Students Need Laws that Benefit All Students 

The people who suggested this law were in the southern part of the state, a popular 
tourism destination site in Alabama. This law might help that area to receive more money and 
benefits. Yet the money spent in places like Gulf Shores is just money taken away from school 
systems and facilities. If the main reason for this idea is just for money in places like Mobile, 
then we the right to disagree with lawmakers and let our voice be heard. 
 
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