Should schools be open longer? Kamala Harris thinks so; Inside plan to align parent-kid schedules

California senator and Democratic presidential nominee hopeful Kamala Harris has introduced a bill that aims to help working parents by aligning school hours with the normal workday.

In a press release, Harris outlined the Family Friendly Schools Act saying that the school day would be lengthened to align with parents' schedules from at least 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year, with no closures except for federal holidays, weekends, and emergencies.

Read the full bill.

The act would also propose no closures for parent-teacher conferences, professional development, or any other reason without offering full-day enrichment activities free of charge for students. 

The effort would also not increase the amount of time teachers and staff have to work unless they choose to work additional hours, and are compensated fairly for the additional hours.

Five-year grants of up to $5 million would fund the project, as well as an additional $1.3 billion to give more children access to summer programs.

The Department of Education would then assess the program after its five-year pilot.


 

 

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