The Cleveland County School Board voted Tuesday night for the second year in a row to have its students return for the next school year two weeks earlier than what state law currently allows.
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“I served 30 years in law enforcement,” said Joel Shores, vice chairman for the Cleveland County School Board. “I took an oath to uphold the laws. Do you think everybody I pulled I gave a ticket?”
District leaders unanimously approved for students to start on Aug. 16.
The school district conducted a community survey on three calendar options.
Option one and option three got the most support.
The options called for the end of the second quarter and midterm exams before winter break.
The board went with option three.
“Option three meets the calendar law in every respect except the start date,” said Danny Blanton, school board member. “We have the instructional time. The teachers get their vacation days.”
Board member Walter Spurling, a former Cleveland County Schools teacher, spoke mostly against the current state law that says school districts must not start school until the Monday closest to Aug. 26.
“The fact that we did not end our first semester until after the holidays definitely put a lot of stress on both teachers and students,” Spurling said.
State legislators are discussing House Bill 86, which would give school districts and charter schools the flexibility to start school anytime as early as Aug. 11.
It made it past a first reading Monday and is now headed for further debate in a state house committee.
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