SCHOOLS REVISE EARLY DISMISSAL POLICY

Cape Girardeau school officials, students and teachers won't feel the heat as much this year, thanks to improved buildings and a revised early-dismissal policy.

The district enacted a policy last year that called for school officials to notify parents through the local media the night before a school day that the heat index was expected to reach 100 degrees or higher, as indicated by the National Weather Service.

Superintendent Dr. Dan Steska said the policy has been updated to reflect the opening of Blanchard Elementary School and closing of May Greene and Washington schools last winter. The school's opening meant all of the district's five elementary schools are air-conditioned and can remain in session during days with extreme temperatures.

The Alternative Education Center, housed at House of Hope Church, 1000 Ranney, also will remain in session during periods of hot weather, but different plans are in place for other secondary buildings.

Louis J. Schultz School will dismiss classes at 11:15 a.m. when an early dismissal is warranted. Central Junior High, Central High School and the Career and Technology Center will dismiss classes at 11:25 a.m. on those days.

Early dismissals will be broadcast on KFVS-TV12, and KGMO, KWKZ and KXIM radio stations.

Steska said Central Junior High, which is air-conditioned, will be closed when the early dismissals are planned, as will Central High School and Louis J. Schultz, which are not air-conditioned. Classes at the vocational school also will be canceled.

"Even though the junior high is air-conditioned, it's complex because we share teachers with the high school and students also take classes in both buildings," said Steska. "We're also concerned that if we sent the seventh-graders home, they may not have older brothers and sisters at home to supervise them."

Steska said the prior-day announcement is intended as a convenience to parents, who had problems scheduling for the supervision and care of their younger children.

"It seemed more simple and easier to explain as well as more effective to send all students seven through 12 home," he said. "Also, we have two separate bus routes, one for elementary and one for secondary. Since they're already separated, we can go ahead and just run a morning and evening route for elementary students, then we would run a morning and mid-day route for secondary students."

Engineers are still developing a design to equip Central High School with an air-conditioning system. Electrical upgrades will be completed this year as a part of a phase-in effort to equip the building with individual room units at a cost substantially less than the projected $3-4 million to install a central air system at the school.

No work is planned at Schultz, which is scheduled to close when after a new high school opens in fall 2002.

Steska said progress on present and future construction projects has been on-target as far as budgeting and scheduling. The Career and Technology Center is well over half-completed, and the school board currently will accept bids from contractors to complete a rough grading and storm sewer package through 2 p.m. Sept. 12. The board will consider the bids during a meeting Sept. 18.

"We're hoping that the dirt work will begin by the first of October and be completed this fall so we're ready to begin construction right at the beginning of the year," Steska said.