Earlier this month, a petition to “Stop the Homework Overload” at Montclair High School was launched. Sponsored by Roma Lopez, a MHS parent, the petition is aimed at Principal James Earle and the Montclair Board of Education. The appeal states that “…for many, success comes at a steep price, particularly at the more advanced levels of study. 

The amount of homework being assigned in each of the higher  level classes is excessive when combined each day.” A New York Times article cited a study done by Denise Pope, a lecturer at the Stanford School of Education, “…students assigned more than 3.5 hours of homework a night had an increased risk of physical and mental health issues.”  Lopez requests that, “…you consider the ill effects of ‘too much homework’ on our students’ mental and physical health and take steps to find workable solutions to reduce the overload.” A goal of 1,000 signatures has been set.

The petition can be found here.