BARRINGTON — To the editor:
I am writing in response the letter entitled “Shifting school start times sends wrong message” by Bob Shea.
Sharing the same name with Mr. Shea has resulted in several instances of mistaken identity over the years, but the issue at hand certainly raises questions about the motivation of the Barrington Times to print the letter without some clarification.
As a current member of the Barrington School Committee, the chair of its Health & Wellness Committee, and someone who has voiced public support for consideration of school start time change based on the overwhelming scientific evidence supporting the sleep needs of adolescents, I want to set the record straight that the letter you chose to print last week was penned by a different author.
I certainly respect the right of Mr. Shea to speak out on this issue and to voice his opposition to any proposed changes to school start times.
That said, I reject his claims that the evidence in support of such change is “pseudoscience” and his equating of concerns about the health and wellness of our children with setting low expectations. He is certainly free to disagree vehemently with me on the merits of the science, the feasibility of change, and/or the priority of the issue. Still, our community deserves better than unsupported claims, inflammatory rhetoric, and personal attack.
I believe that the science on the sleep needs of adolescents is clear, but recognize that the feasibility of change remains an open question in need of further study and discussion. Debate is healthy ... further discussion necessary ... I hope that all members of the community, including Mr. Shea, will join us in moving toward consensus.
Bob Shea
Barrington
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