It’s that time again. Fayette County public schools will begin the first day of class on Aug. 12. The 2013-2014 school year will see new start and end times for the school day and the return of a 180-day school year for students.
School starts Aug. 12 and ends May 23. The entire school year calendar is posted on the school system’s website at www.fcboe.org.
School system spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach said the school year will include new start and end times for elementary, middle and high school students. Elementary school starts at 7:40 a.m. and ends at 2:25 p.m., middle school starts at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m. and high school starts at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:45 p.m. The time adjustments will help the school system’s transportation department operate its bus fleet more efficiently, Berry-Dreisbach said.
The school calendar has been restored to the traditional 180 instructional days for the 2013-2014 school year. The addition of instructional days comes with a reduced winter break in February, said Berry-Dreisbach.
“Traditionally, students have had a week-long winter break starting the week of President’s Day. This year students will have a shortened break that will start on Friday, Feb. 14 and end on Tuesday, Feb. 18, with students returning to school on Wednesday, Feb. 19,” said Berry-Dreisbach.
Berry-Dreisbach noted that parents can obtain information on all of the changes that will impact their students this year by attending open houses that have been scheduled for all schools the week before the start of school on Aug. 12. For specific dates and times, parents can check their school’s website or call the school for details.
Another change for the new school year are meal prices. School lunch prices have increased:
• Elementary schools — $1.45 breakfast, $2.35 lunch, 30 cents reduced price breakfast, 40 cents reduced price lunch;
• Middle schools — $1.50 breakfast, $2.45 lunch, 30 cents reduced price breakfast, 40 cents reduced price lunch;
• High schools — $2.45 lunch, 40 cents reduced price lunch; and
• All schools — $1.50 adult breakfast, $3.35 adult lunch.
Also this year, the final phase of Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) will be rolled out at all elementary schools. Berry-Dreisbach said the BYOT program allows students in elementary, middle and high schools to bring their electronic devices to school for use in classroom learning.
The school system will begin the year with four fewer schools with the closure of Tyrone Elementary School and Brooks Elementary School, Fayette Middle School and the consolidation of Fayetteville Intermediate School and Hood Avenue Primary School to become Fayetteville Elementary School on the old Hood Avenue campus.
The number of students to attend class when school opens next week is currently in flux. Last school year ended with an enrollment of approximately 20,300 students. The school system on Tuesday reported that 20,264 students had registered for the upcoming school year. Those numbers are likely to change, said Berry-Dreisbach.
For more information on the new school year visit www.fcboe.org.
