District Reports "Successful" First Day of School

CANTON, GA -- One down, 179 more days to go.

The Cherokee County School District completed its first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 1, and inaugural operations "were extremely well-planned, smooth and successful," the district said.

Enrollment reached 40,719 for the first day of the year at the district's 43 schools and centers, according to preliminary attendance reports.

Cherokee County anticipates enrollment will continue to rise over the course of the school year to more than 41,700 students, with first-day enrollment 578 students higher than last year (Day 1 of the 2015-16 School Year’s student enrollment was 40,141).

“Today’s successful opening fills me with appreciation for the dedication of our staff and the support of our parents, partners and volunteers to ensure that each one of our students begins the school year right and has every opportunity to excel,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Hightower said. “Nothing is more important to us than preparing all students for advancement in their education and the rest of their lives, and the year ahead looks very bright for CCSD.”

School district spokesperson Barbara Jacoby added schools experienced the "usual first-day traffic, as some parents, especially those of kindergarteners and students new to CCSD, do choose to drive their children to school themselves."

The district's 4,553 employees, including approximately 2,550 teachers, are now back at work on campuses and support facilities throughout Cherokee County; and the district's fleet of 386 buses began their daily transport of approximately 70 percent of the student population through 1,525 daily bus routes.

Policies related to environmental/temperature concerns are being followed at all campuses, including: limiting the time students spend on school buses; allowing students to bring bottled water on school buses; and following guidelines for rescheduling and cancelling outdoor athletic/band/extra-curricular activities, when necessary, due to high temperatures.

Today was also opening day for CCSD’s newest facility, Dean Rusk Middle School.

Dean Rusk, which was built to house grade 6-8 students in the Sequoyah Innovation Zone, will be able to house the projected 1,476 students.

With 235,741 square feet of space, it replaces the existing facility, which only could accommodate grade 7-8 students. Construction on this project was completed under-budget and on-time and was funded using Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) revenues.

Principal Cindy Cooper, while overseeing the opening day of the new facility, commented that: “on behalf of all Dean Rusk Middle School stakeholders and the entire community we serve, I would like to offer my thanks to Dr. Hightower, the school board and the numerous CCSD departments that played an integral role in providing this beautiful, state-of-the-art facility to the Hickory Flat community.”

---

Images via Cherokee County School District