BIRMINGHAM — A Birmingham city councilman is proposing a bold idea to make sure students stay away from gun violence.
Councilor Clinton Woods is looking to extend the school day for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. He said most people think that means more classroom instruction time, but that’s not his plan. He wants to extend the hours schools are open to make sure students have the resources to stay out of trouble.
Woods’ proposal would extend the school day by three hours. He feels requiring students to be at school at 7 in the morning instead of 8 a.m. will give them an extra hour to make sure they can eat breakfast and participate in mindfulness activities before they start classes.
After school, from 3 to 5 p.m., he wants to offer students tutoring and career education to open their minds to different career paths. He also would make sure students are fed dinner before they’re picked up.
Woods said he realizes getting kids to participate in these opportunities is difficult after school and on weekends, but requiring it would help parents make sure their kids have access to the resources they need to stay away from gun violence.
“If you can serve them where they are, I think that gives you a much greater opportunity to deliver any and all wraparound services that are needed,” Woods said. “What we see in our community, there are some challenges. Let’s be honest. Parenting is a little different now, and so there are some voids. We need to be in a position as the community to step up and put some things in place to fill those voids.”
The proposal is being met with mixed reviews. American Federation of Teachers Birmingham president Richard Franklin believes Woods’ heart is in the right place to make sure students are well-taken care of after they leave school.
Franklin said he remembers the city used to invest in programming like rec centers and funding after-school care for Birmingham city schools, but feels like that’s a thing of the past. He feels the city has a much bigger role to do, though, before making it the school’s responsibility.
There are 21 parks and recreation centers across Birmingham, according to the City of Birmingham.
“Our community is struggling,” Franklin said. “We live in poverty. How are they going to get around? We don’t have to have a transportation. That’s why they have the rec centers to make it accessible to most of the communities in your area. If they go there and it’s wrong, I’ll be the first person to say it’s wrong. They even had programs for senior citizens. We don’t have that anymore.”
The City of Birmingham currently has a free Birmingham Safe Haven initiative that helps students with homework, personal growth, self-care, recreation and meals. It is in coordination with Birmingham schools and recreation centers in the area.
Woods said after-school care wouldn’t be mandatory if parents want the option to pick their students up after school. Woods said the proposal is still in the early stages. He explained that schools have limitations regarding what kind of services they can offer. That could require changing some state laws to make that happen.
If the plan is approved, Woods plans to launch the pilot program in Birmingham City Schools before opening it up to other school systems.
