Vox Pop

To the kind gentleman who found my ID tag and key near Gregory Park and went out of his way to track me down and hand deliver it - you are an awesome person! Thank you so much. I'll be looking for the opportunity to pay it forward.

BHS early release

How many high school parents are aware that on these dates (Thursday and Friday) the high school will let all kids out after third hour/lunch to roam the streets until the buses come at 3 p.m.? This has been a practice for a few years. Who's responsible should anything happen to these kids during that time? They were picked up and delivered to school and should remain there until they are transported home. If you release early, bring the kids home where they belong. Are you notifying the state that school is out more than 2 hours, doesn't that affect your funding?

BHS principal Erich Heise said for the past four or five years the high school has had early release days during final exams in the spring and last year began having early release days for students during first semester final exams, which take place Thursday and Friday. When exams are finished at 12:06 p.m. on these dates, the 10th-12th grade students have the option of leaving or staying in the school and waiting for the bus. Buses remain on the normal bus schedule because it would be costly to bus only high school students home hours before the rest of the district buses transport students home from other schools. These early releases do not impact school funding, said Heise. Students are welcome to stay for lunch and the media center remains open until 3:15 p.m. for students who wish to work. "Our intent is not to run a crazy atmosphere where kids are running wild in the streets," said Heise. "We hope parents have a plan for their kids and are discussing what their kids are up to, that's what they're supposed to do. We're not washing our hands of our kids. They're not kicked out. Most do leave, they might go to work or go home. We've done this for a number of years and it has not been a problem."

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