Cherokee County: school start and end times will change next year

The Cherokee County School District is revising class start and end times for three school zones for the 2016-17 school year.

River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock zones will begin using the new times in August. This change, which also is referred to as a “three-tier” plan, means that middle and high school students in these zones will be riding separate buses; elementary students will continue to ride their own buses districtwide.

Middle schools affected are Dean Rusk, Freedom, Mill Creek and Woodstock, which 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.).

High schools affected will be River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock, which 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.)

Elementary schools in these zones will not be affected. The current start and end times for the Cherokee and Creekview zones will not change next school year. The district will review these changes for possible adjustments.

In addition to separating middle and high school bus riders, the changes also will save money, the school district says. It will require fewer buses and bus drivers, reducing vehicle purchases and maintenance, and related salaries and benefit costs.

Start and end times for the 2016-17 school year:

High schools

Cherokee 8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.

Creekview 8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.

Etowah 8:15 a.m. 3:15 p.m.

River Ridge 8:15 a.m. 3:15 p.m.

Sequoyah 8:15 a.m. 3:15 p.m.

Woodstock 8:15 a.ml 3:15 p.m.

Middle schools

Teasley 8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.

Freedom 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.

Creekland 8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.