Summer break is just about over, meaning it’s time for children to start gearing up to head back to school for a new academic year, and the five campuses of Union County Schools are ready to welcome students into their halls once more on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Following new legislation and a push toward mental health and emotional wellbeing, there are some changes that parents and guardians can expect across the board this school year. One of the biggest is the new ban on cellphones, smart watches and other internet-connected devices.
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“It’ll be an adjustment for everybody, but at the end of the day, the ‘why’ is more engagement, less distractions, mental health, bullying – all the things we’ve seen for a long time that are directly related to cellphones will hopefully subside,” said High School Principal Josh Davis.
Though the new state law mandates cellphone removal from all pre-K through middle school classrooms, the district has opted for a blanket ban that will also affect high schoolers. Students will be given signal-blocking bags to put their phones in and cannot have them out during the day.
Of course, children who need their phones to read glucose meters or for other health reasons may use them as necessary but will face the same ban on texting and other device usage. In the words of Superintendent John Hill, the system is practicing a “common sense approach.”
On that note, Union County Middle School has another new requirement when it comes to technology: all school-issued laptop computers must be kept on campus.
In response to another new Georgia law, paperwork will be sent home to all parents regardless of their students’ ages with a code to sign up for Parent ProTech for free.
The platform educates families on different aspects of technology and how youth navigate it, including the harm it can pose to developing minds. Along with general knowledge, it provides conversation starters and ways to engage with children on the topics of technology and social media, with guides on how to limit access thereof.
Returning this year is the shuttle bus system, designed to save parents time in the morning. For families with multiple car-riding children in different grade levels, it can be difficult to navigate drop-offs, so parents can bring all their students to one convenient drop-off location.
The idea is to go only to the youngest child’s school, and the older students will be taken from there to their respective campuses via the shuttle.
“We run non-stop shuttles that rotate through all the schools almost like a bus loop,” said Director of Teaching and Learning C.T. Hussion.
Principals revealed varying levels of shuttle bus use; Union County Middle School Principal Tammy Hughes estimates the shuttle bus can save parents anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes depending on how many routes they would normally take.
Similarly, traffic changes are inevitable with the addition of the new elementary school. Parents should access Elementary Way from the Baseball and Softball Field entrance at the Glenn Gooch Bypass and drop their students off at the front of the new school building in the morning. During afternoon pickup, parents should enter from the same location and expect to be staged at the gate and wait until the buses leave.
“They will already be in two lanes, and they’ll stay in two lanes and travel to the back of the school where they’ll pick up their children in the evening,” said Union County Elementary Principal Jerry Bavero.
When it comes to other changes, elementary students will enjoy a new option for a connection class in the form of construction. Every student will experience the class once every six days, and the subject aligns with the middle and high school construction programs.
Union County Primary will only consist of kindergarten and first grade this year and is rolling out the new Union County Schools Daycare. Starting with two classes, the age ranges are divided from birth to 1 year old and 2 to 3 years old. All 14 slots are expected to be filled by October.
As for Woody Gap, middle school students like those at UCMS will be keeping all Chromebooks and other computers at school while high schoolers will be allowed to take theirs home. A new electronic sign will allow the community to keep an eye on school alerts such as for inclement weather closings.
To access all traffic maps, please refer to the “Traffic Patterns” section of the “Families” tab at the top of https://www.ucschools.org/.
