Indian Creek students head back to school Tuesday, but some of their classmates could be gone for the entire first week of classes.
Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson schools covers parts of both Johnson and Morgan counties. About 500 of the nearly 1,800 students attending Indian Creek live in Morgan County.
And with school starting next week, that conflicts with the Morgan County fair. The fair starts Friday, but animals will be judged next week. That means students could miss days of school or meet-the-teacher nights.
When school officials set the calendar for this school year, they knew they’d be starting at the same time as the Morgan County fair, Superintendent Tim Edsell said.
At least 10 parents called to ask about their children missing school. By state statute, students can miss up to five days of school if they are showing animals or a project during the county or state fair, Edsell said.
But the school district set the calendar to best match up with Central Nine Career Center, which started school this week.
About one-sixth of Indian Creek’s student population, or 300 students, attend the career center, Edsell said. Since the number is so high, the school wanted to coordinate their schedules, such as with Thanksgiving and spring breaks, he said.
