Where are the kids when school starts late?
Next week a group of parents unhappy with changes in the school schedule will meet with the Moorpark school board. At issue is the one-day-a-week late start schedule allowing teachers an opportunity to hold special meetings called collaborative sessions.

Thursdays at Chaparral and Fridays at Mesa Verde middle schools start out an hour later than usual, disrupting the schedules of working parents. It can be hard to insure the safe delivery of one's kids to school grounds without parental direction. What might take place in that unsupervised hour could possibly leave children in harm's way, even if it might be the youths who are causing mischief.

Has Moorpark really become so dangerous and have children become so unruly that they cannot be trusted to get to school on time without parental oversight? Or is this problem really an outcropping of a general fear that someone is going to kidnap our children right off the streets?

Recently, a student at Cal State Channel Islands was approached by an attempted kidnapper. Kdnappings are in the news, and even parents who would not fall into the category of "safety" moms and dads can be frightened. Concern over leaving one's children unattended is understandable.

It's easy to remember the days when the parents were young and could ride freely throughout our communities on bicycles or roam with friends, going to a favorite soda shop to hang out- but that was a different time.

The Moorpark Unified School District board should consider the safety of students affected by the new time changes. The old days of trusting every neighbor and driver in the community are past. These parents are concerned. We urge the board to put student safety first in scheduling teacher meetings.