District Rolls Out New Start, End Times For Some Students

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WOODSTOCK, GA -- Thousands of students will see a slight change in their schedules when they arrive to and depart from school.

That's because the Cherokee County School District is revising the start and end times for three of its Innovation Zones for the 2016-17 school year.

After piloting a revised system in the Etowah Innovation Zone this school year, the same pattern now will be used in the River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock innovation zones beginning in August.

Innovation zones are the individual feeder patterns established for the district's elementary, middle and high schools.

This change, which also is referred to as a “three-tier” plan, means that middle and high school students in these four zones will be riding separate buses; elementary students will continue to ride their own buses district wide, the system said.

As a result of this change, Dean Rusk, Freedom, Mill Creek and Woodstock middle schools will start classes at 9 a.m. (instead of 8:30 a.m.) and end at 4 p.m. (instead of 3:30 p.m.).

Students at River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock high schools will start classes at 8:15 a.m. (instead of 8:30 a.m.) and end at 3:15 p.m. (instead of 3:30 p.m.)

Start times for elementary schools in these zones will not be affected. The current start and end times for the Cherokee and Creekview Innovation Zones will not change for next school year, as the district plans to continue to review these zones for possible future adjustments.

In addition to separating middle and high school bus riders, the changes also will generate significant cost savings for the district by requiring fewer buses and bus drivers, therefore avoiding additional vehicle purchases and maintenance costs, as well as related salaries and benefit costs.

Principals in the three affected zones are communicating this information directly to parents and answering their questions.

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