Rumor Mill-4976

Published January 26, 2012

The purpose of this section is to answer any questions parents, teachers or community members might have regarding the school district and to set the record straight in regards to any rumors that might be circulating.  If you have a question or have heard a rumor that you would like for us to address, simply SEND US your questions and we will respond to them in upcoming issues of IN FOCUS.  Below are some of the questions we received since our last newsletter.

I was just curious as to why the school system does not have a program in place where as they call a two-hour delay, followed by a wait-and-see status, when the weather goes bad, as it did recently?  It would make sense to see if the roads are clear by 9 a.m., rather than just call a snow day for the entire day unnecessarily.

Any time the district considers closing school for inclement weather, all options are considered, including starting at a later time.  If at all possible, the district makes the call to cancel school the night before so parents can make necessary arrangements for childcare.  Most parents have indicated that they prefer knowing the night before as opposed to receiving the call in the morning.  The district has eight inclement weather days built into this year's calendar.

In reviewing the newly posted 2012-2013 School Calendar I see that there will once again be a two day Fall Break but a week long Thanksgiving break.  What is the reasoning for the longer Thanksgiving break?  With the two week long Christmas Holiday break only a month later it doesn’t make sense to have such a long break at Thanksgiving too.  Could consideration be given to swap the two and have a week-long Fall Break instead when families are much more likely to get out and enjoy it?

For the past few years there has been great discussion by the School Board regarding the length of times of fall break, Thanksgiving break and winter break.  At the request of the calendar committee (made up of teachers and administrators), the School Board has voted to have a longer Thanksgiving break.  Williamson County has become a more transient community with many families requesting a longer Thanksgiving break for travel.  The calendar is approved each year for the following year.

Research shows that schools with later start times have more alert and interactive students, have lower drop out rates, less depression, and show higher test scores than schools that start early because they better accommodate the natural sleep patterns of a growing teenager.  These benefits have resulted in many schools across the nation changing to a later start time.   Many of the middle and high schools in Williamson County begin before 7:30 a.m. and bus times can be as early as 6 a.m., often causing bus riders to even load in the dark.  Has WCS ever considered a later start time to help continue with our academic growth?

In the past, the School Board has discussed and considered changing start times for middle and high schools.  The Board found that changing start times interferes with extracurricular activities (practices, athletic schedules, etc.) and work schedules for students.  Most parents have not encouraged a change in the start time.