NAACP says new Boston school times harm children of color

BOSTON — A civil rights group is firing back against the new start times recently announced by Boston Public Schools.

Parents, especially those with young children, voiced their issues Wednesday night at a school committee meeting. There is also a petition on change.org with more than 8,000 signatures asking for officials to delay the changes until the impacted families can have more input.

The petition was started last Friday by Jane Miller, a Roslindale mom with three kids in Boston schools. She says it’s too early for kids that age to be going to school – and inconvenient for families with more than one student.

“Just to have something decided for you with drastic implications for your family, it just feels wrong,” she said.

The Boston chapter of the NAACP also weighed in Thursday saying the new policy will unfairly affect families of color.

In a statement, the civil rights group said “The decision made by the administration and School Committee is not racially equitable, and is likely to bring significant harm to children and families of color across the City of Boston. Equity demands that this decision be reconsidered.”

Organizers of the petition say they plan on delivering the signatures to BPS administrators and Mayor Marty Walsh - in hopes they'll have more time before the new school times are implemented next fall.

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