Rumor Mill – August 19, 2016

Published August 19, 2016

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 InFocus. Below are some of the questions we have received since our last issue.

I heard the ice cream cups that are being served in our school cafeterias have eggs in them, which is an allergen. Is this true?

That is not true. There is misinformation circulating regarding the allergens in the Purity ice cream cups. The ice cream cups do not contain eggs. All of the ice cream products we serve are individually labeled with the “big 8” allergens declared. They all contain milk. Our ice cream vendor changed before the start of the 2015-2016 school year. The ice cream we have this year is the same ice cream that students enjoyed last school year. Please contact Sarah Mitchell, the district Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, at sarah.mitchell@wcs.edu if you have any questions regarding food allergens.

Is it true that Winstead Elementary will be used as office space for the county and not be used as an elementary school? I am told there are currently quite a few county employees with offices there now. There are so few students at Winstead now and nearby Oak View busting at the seams and growing by the day. It doesn’t seem fair to crowd Oak View when Winstead sits half empty year after year. It doesn’t seem prudent to keep spending money on portables at Oak View when Winstead is close and available. Please explain.

No. There is no truth to that rumor. Last year, school administration recommended some rezoning in the Oak View/Winstead area, but the Board did not approve that recommendation, discussing deferring any rezoning in the area until the new Thompson’s Station area schools open. Site work has begun in Thompson’s Station. The middle and elementary schools are scheduled to open Fall 2018. This fall, the Board will discuss a rezoning schedule for rezoning that may affect the enrollment at Winstead and Oakview.

Is it true you are in negotiations to purchase land for a new high school off of Gosey Road?

The district is always looking for suitable property for schools across the county. At this time, the district is in negotiations for a land purchase in the east Brentwood area. The negotiation agreement prohibits us from sharing details of the location at this time.

What is the board discussing regarding the school calendar and start times?

According to School Board policy, the calendar must be determined before March 1 of the next school year. The Board may choose to approve a calendar for the next school year earlier, however. At the August 15 Board meeting, the group instructed staff to bring back three possible calendars for consideration. A calendar committee will be approved by the Board at its September meeting.

The discussion on start times is beginning. A video is being shown at all school open houses. Community meetings are schedule on Thursday, September 8 at Nolensville High, Tuesday, September 13 at Centennial High and Tuesday, September 20 at Fairview High. All meetings run from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. At this time, the Board is scheduled to discuss the start time topic at its November meeting.

I was just reading in the newspaper about the new school on Critz Lane. When will the zoning for that school be released? And when will you all release which high school that it will feed into?

Zoning for the new schools on Critz Lane will occur in 2017. At this point, we have not determined if it will be spring or fall semester. Stay tuned to InFocus for the latest updates.

I have a question concerning transportation of athletic teams at the High School level. Why doesn’t WCS provide school buses for away games? As a girls volleyball parent, I am being asked to transport my child and her teammates to their away games, this places a liability on me as well as other parents, in case there is an accident either to or from the away location. Or is it a matter of coordination through the WCS transportation department?

The WCS Transportation Department does provide transportation for not only athletic teams but for all of the county’s field trips. If there is a conflict with the departure time that an athletic team has requested and the afternoon routes for our elementary schools, the Transportation Department will let the coaches know they are unavailable at that time and give them a time frame when the buses will be free to transport them. In addition, the district continues to hire additional bus drivers. As we graduate our trainees from our training class, it will ease the problem we currently have.

I heard a rumor that possibly next year, 2017-2018 school year, that half of Bent Creek may be rezoned back to Nolensville Elementary from Mill Creek Elementary because of low enrollment numbers currently at Nolensville. Please tell me this is not the case!?

We have no plans to change the school zones for Bent Creek subdivision.