CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools parents are confused after discovering four new early-release dates on the school calendar. Students will be let out three hours early on certain days so teachers have more time to plan.
This school year is the first time CMS has implemented early dismissal district wide. Some parents told Channel 9 it's inconvenient, but the district said those early release days are important because it gives teachers time to train and grow as educators.
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Some parents reached out to Channel 9, saying they didn't know about the early dismissal days until recently. The first date is Wednesday, Oct. 7.
When Channel 9 asked school officials when they made the decision about adding early dismissal days, they said it was during the spring, and the announcement has been on the CMS website and in the back to school information.
Still, some parents said they never got the message and there needs to be a better way to remind them since many parents work and need to arrange who can pick up and watch their kids earlier in the afternoon.
“I think they need to go ahead and let parents know,” Tianya Jackson said. “Again, I found out by a friend. I'm sure there are other parents who don't know.”
“The desire for quality instruction is what we're really getting out of this and in order to do that our teachers need time to plan for quality instruction,” CMS chief academic officer Brian Schultz said.
CMS said they plan to send paper reminders as well as automated voice messages to parents about the first early dismissal in the coming days.
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