Should school start before or after Labor Day? Metro Detroit parents weigh in

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DETROIT (WXYZ) — It was only a few years ago that students didn't go to school until after Labor Day. But in recent years, districts decided to let out for the summer earlier, due to heat concerns.

7 News Reporter Meghan Daniels took to the streets to see what parents think about this. The parents we spoke to are divided. Some say, there is no good reason for kids to be in school this early, while others say, they should go back earlier.

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"They're coddled enough," said Canada Foster, a mother of seven. "They need to know, hey, sometimes it's hot you need to work, sometimes it's cold you have to work."

Foster just moved back to Detroit from Texas and she's thrilled with the early start.

"My kids get a couple more weeks of education they don't have that long summer break where they forget everything."

She says in her opinion, the days before Labor Day are a great way to get kids reacclimated to their school schedules.

"Just a quick refresher before school actually kicks off is perfect for me. This is the best that they've had so far."

But Teandra Brown disagrees.

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"They should have just waited until this week to start school instead of this week if they knew it was going to be hot," said Brown, a mother of one.

She says her son should have enjoyed one last week of summer, especially if the school day would be cut short due to the heat.

"It's just a waste of time, Waste of uniform, waste of lunches," Brown continued.

Many parents told us that while they can't control the weather, they feel situations like this are completely avoidable by having air conditioning in all school buildings.

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