Resolved, I Have Been Unable To Have Fun With My Kids
City Council member speaks out on the important issues of the day:
Posted: November 28th, 2007 | Filed under: You're Kidding, Right?Amid growing calls for higher education standards, a City Council member is urging the Department of Education to limit the amount of homework teachers assign students each night.
Peter Vallone Jr., who represents parts of Queens, said his two daughters are routinely swamped with homework and stuck at home, slogging through it.
“As a parent, I have been unable to have fun with my kids. We can’t go for bike rides. We can’t go to the park. We can’t go to the museum, and that’s not fair,” he said.
Mr. Vallone said he understands that the Department of Education is aiming to improve test scores, but he said an emphasis on homework is taking away students’ childhoods and contributing to child obesity by forcing children to stay at home with their books.
He plans to introduce a resolution next month calling for homework in public schools to be limited to 2 1/2 hours a night and said he wants the Department of Education to create a weekly homework-free night.
