Henderson County Public Schools start their school year in just over one week.
The district will be starting classes, Aug. 14, two weeks before state law allows. It is one of at least 16 districts defying state law that says schools must start Aug. 28.
As volunteers prepared for the start of the school year during United Way of Henderson County's Day of Action on Friday, Aug. 4, News 13 asked Mark Garrett, superintendent of Henderson County schools, about the early start date.
“One of the things that we try to do here is look at student need over adult convenience,” Garrett said. “When we looked at what a 14th start does, it aligns with our community college calendar, it lets us finish the semester for our high school kids before Christmas and that holiday break. It just really makes a lot of sense at the student level and at the classroom level, and that’s where we want to put our priority."
The school calendar law was passed in 2004 after a group called Save Our Summers pressured lawmakers to set the statewide date.
Henderson, Polk and Rutherford County public schools have all approved start dates for Aug. 14.
STORY COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOShttps://wlos.com/news/local/superintendent-henderson-county-public-schools-mark-garrett-voices-support-for-early-start-date-school-year#
