Kamala Harris’s Proposed Bill Will Have Schools Stay Open Longer To Help Working Families
Kamala Harris announced a special proposal this week ensuring that schools will be open longer so they can help working parents who are still at their jobs.
The bill is called the Family Friendly Schools Act, a five-year pilot program that grants up to $5 million in federal dollars to districts encompassing 500 elementary schools so they can “restructure and expand the school day” through programs and other learning opportunities from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Of course, students are not required to attend nor would classroom hours expand. This would just be to help working families limit the burdens of babysitting costs and/or anxiety that can come from managing pickups.
Furthermore, according to People magazine, Kamala’s campaign says the bill would “fund the expansion of before- and after-school programs as well as programs during the summer break.”
The bill would give $1.3 trillion each year toward “community learning centers” for expanding summer programs.
“Our bill does not mandate how schools implement the program so long as they stay open until 6 p.m.,” a Kamala spokeswoman told the outlet. “Schools have the flexibility to determine what works best for their community and the students and their families. … [They] may use the extra time for high-quality academic, athletic, extracurricular or community-based learning opportunities.”
We don’t know about you, but this will definitely help a lot of struggling families. Read more about the bill at People magazine.