Mom: Framingham Students Not In Class For Required Number Of Hours
FRAMINGHAM (CBS) - The mother of a first grader claims Framingham school officials are breaking state law when it comes to the number of hours kids are supposed to be in the class room.
Chief Correspondent Joe Shortsleeve says this determined parent has filed a complaint with the State Board of Education, which has now opened an investigation.
Students from the Hemenway Elementary school in Framingham are heading home for the day. How much time did they spend learning during their six hour school day?
Not enough according to Collins Fay-Martin, the mother of a first grader.
WBZ-TV's Joe Shortsleeve reports.
"My concern is that the kids and specifically my daughter are not getting an adequate education."
She filed a formal complaint with the State Board of Education claiming the kids are not getting the 900 hours of instruction as required by state law.
She says when you add up recess, lunch, time passing in the hallways, half days, and early dismissal the kids are about 65 hours short of the 900-hour mark or about two to three weeks.
She says with a smile "more recently I have been told that the time spent passing between classes, walking in the halls, counts as behavioral learning."
The Superintendent of Schools was not available to talk on camera but over the phone Steve Hiersche says he is confident the kids in Framingham's elementary schools are getting the proper number of hours and he says he is preparing to document it for the State Board of Education.
In a statement to WBZ the State Board of Education says…
"We do have an active complaint regarding a Framingham schools' compliance with learning time requirements. The department is in the process of conducting an investigation."
Parents outside the Framingham school say it is an important topic.
"I think they should get the 900 hours. They need to be able to learn and to compete with other children."
Another mother said "I don't know about the number of hours but I know we get a quality education here at Hemenway."
Collins Fay-Martin says she wants nothing short of a longer school day and she wants it this year.
The superintendent tells WBZ seven of the eight elementary schools in Framingham all follow the same schedule.
He has two weeks to answer the complaint and than the state could take 60 days to make a decision.
