Parents angry over earlier start times planned for dozens of Boston’s elementary and K-8 schools gathered at a West Roxbury tree lighting Sunday afternoon to protest and demand that city officials postpone deciding on any changes for at least a year.
The protest came a day before the School Department launches 10 community meetings this week for officials to discuss the controversial new start times, which were rolled out by school leaders earlier this month.
The changes would mean later start times for many high-schoolers, but elementary students and their families at more than three dozen schools may see starts of 7:30 a.m. or earlier.
Parents have blasted the changes at public meetings, and Superintendent Tommy Chang on Friday told families that officials would reconsider the new start times and set the schedules in mid-January. That timing also met with criticism, as some families would be in the midst of school registration for the fall.