|
Press Release - July 30, 2018
For more information, contact Jackson Daniel, Asst. Supt. for Personnel & Operations
Monroe County Schools have announced the first day of the 2018-19 school year will be delayed one day for students. Rather than reporting to school on Friday, August 3, students will begin their first day of school on Monday, August 6.
The change in schedule is to allow additional time for relocation of the students currently on the William Hubbard campus of Monroe County Middle School to the Banks Stephens campus.
All middle school students -- grades sixth, seventh, and eighth -- will be housed in the Banks Stephens building on Thornton Road for the coming school year.
Teachers reported as normal on Monday, July 30 and will have a full week of pre-planning before welcoming students next Monday, August 6.
The move of sixth graders from the William Hubbard campus to the Banks Stephens building is necessary because of structural issues causing severe groundwater problems in sections of the building.
"The decision to move students and staff out of the William Hubbard building was made on the basis of safety," said Superintendent Dr. Mike Hickman. "Some issues in the building have existed for a number of years, but they have been successfully managed up until now. This summer, with the large amounts of rain at times, the issues have been exacerbated to a point they cannot be managed."
Dr. Hickman explained that some portions of the William Hubbard building lie below ground level. Water seeping through exterior walls and, in some locations, even coming into classrooms from beneath the building through foundations and subflooring, has created an environment that can lead to air quality issues.
"Due to the age of the building and the knowledge of possible issues, we have monitored air quality in the William Hubbard building frequently. In previous years, air quality conditions have always been in normal thresholds meaning the air inside the building was of better quality than outside air," explained Hickman. "However, this summer's frequent and heavy rains, constant high humidity, and heat have led to air quality levels that have caused us to be concerned enough to vacate the building."
The William Hubbard Middle School Campus is the oldest building housing students in the Monroe County School System. Built in the mid-1950s, the school was originally the pre-integration Hubbard School. After integration, the building became Hubbard Elementary School housing kindergarten through fifth grades; housed third through fifth grades after the construction of Hubbard Primary (now Hubbard Elementary); served as Hubbard Middle School housing half of the system's sixth through eighth grade students; and most recently it has been the sixth grade campus of Monroe County Middle School.
Over the past 25 years, the building has gone through multiple renovations and additions.
During the week of pre-planning, school system administrators and support personnel will assist the teaching staff of Monroe County Middle School in making the transition from two campuses to one. Open House for the Middle School will be moved from Tuesday, July 31, to Friday, August 3, from 1:00-5:00 pm. Information will be forthcoming later in the week concerning any changes needed in school bus schedules and parent drop-off or pick-up procedures on the Banks Stephens campus.
"We recognize that this issue will cause inconveniences in some ways; however, we also believe that bringing all middle schoolers under the same roof will have many positives," said Dr. Hickman. "We ask our staff and our parents to have patience as we work through this process."
Monroe County Middle School principal Dr. Efrem Yarber expressed his appreciation for the support he and his staff have received in working through the issues and transition plan.
"In the end, maintaining student and staff safety and providing an inviting atmosphere for student learning and success are the number one goals at Monroe County Middle School," said Dr. Yarber. "We pledge to keep our focus on making this transition as smooth as possible for everyone."
As for the future configuration of Monroe County Middle School, the Board of Education and system leaders will work with school stakeholders to develop a long-range plan for our middle school students and staff beyond this school year.
Both Dr. Hickman and Dr. Yarber invite parents to call with any questions or concerns related to the campus transition. Dr. Hickman can be reached at 478-994-2031 and Dr. Yarber can be reached at 478-994-6186.
|
