It might feel like summer is here to stay, but for students across Nevada, the season’s end is rapidly approaching.
That’s because for most students in the state — roughly 340,000 enrolled in Clark and Washoe County schools — the first day of school is Monday, August 10.
And one big change that parents in Southern Nevada will have to deal with this year is the new staggered start times, pushing that first bell back anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes compared to previous years’ start times.
“We had the expectation that all the children, all the adults would be sitting in their seats at 7 a.m. ready to learn,” said Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert.
“All the research shows that that is not the case for our high school students,” she said. “There are other pieces of research showing around the country that [among] high school students driving, there are less accidents because they are ready to hit the road running. Also, increased student achievement, as well as the ability to still participate in extracurricular sports, all of those pieces. So we're really excited about the opportunity.”
Students in Washoe County are also experiencing some changes this school year. Just last week, WCSD — the second-largest district in the state — announced plans to introduce a new student tracking program called Zum ahead of the upcoming school year. It allows parents, principals, and transportation staff to monitor students’ bus rides to and from campus.
Students enrolled in the program scan a school ID card or app when they board and exit the school bus. The system electronically records attendance and sends notifications to parents through a dedicated app.
“The district is charged with the safe care and transport of thousands of students on a daily basis, to and from school,” said Adam Searcy, Chief Operations Officer for Washoe County Schools.
“We have the technology and the ability to apply it into that service, so that students and parents and school administrators can receive notifications on the status of the bus to and from the stop, and that we can take electronic attendance,” Searcy added. “It's a huge improvement in student safety and just customer service, so that the people that need to know what's going on with their students and our busses are able to be notified more timely and more accurately.”
However, Searcy noted the program is entirely voluntary.
“If you are eligible for transportation, and you show up at the bus stop, we're going to give you a ride no matter what. This is an opt-in sort of additional layer that we're offering this school year.”
Guests: Jhone Ebert, superintendent, Clark County School District; Adam Searcy, chief operations officer, Washoe County School District
