Rutherford County Schools first day of school now Aug. 13

This is James Evans with Rutherford County Schools and we want to update you about the first day of school.

We are delaying the first day of school until Thursday, Aug. 13. Again the first day of school will now be Thursday, Aug. 13.

We did not anticipate that over 19,000 students would choose distance learning, and today was the deadline to sign-up for distance-learning. This represents approximately 40% of our student population, and we need to give our teachers and schools additional prep time to adjust and be ready to serve students.

Your schools will be in contact with you with more specifics about the first day of school, laptop pickup and other information.

So again, the first day of school will be Thursday, Aug. 13 and it will be a three-hour, 15-minute day for all students, both in-person and those on distance-learning. Friday, Aug. 14 will also be a three-hour, 15-minute day. We will begin full days on Monday, Aug. 17.

Parents, we appreciate your understanding as we make this adjustment. We want to ensure we start the school year off right and are ready for students.