With hundreds of school children, cars, and buses coming and going, the City of Murfreesboro is taking extra precautions to make sure the first full day of school is a safe one. Parents, teachers, schoolchildren, and voters are advised to do their part in keeping school children safe.
Both Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City Schools will open for a half day on Wednesday (Aug. 5, 2014 - See below). Murfreesboro City School students will have their first full day on Thursday of this week while Rutherford County student's wait until Friday to celebrate their first full day in the classroom. County schools are closed this Thursday for a teacher in service period.
Voters are allowed to enter Murfreesboro City School buildings through the designated voting area only. For convenience, voters may want to avoid drop-off and pick-up times for school children. Typically, schools get busy with parents picking-up their children twenty to twenty-five minutes prior to the beginning and ending of school, 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. or 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. depending on the school's bell time.
"We want the first full-day of school to be as smooth and safe as possible," said Murfreesboro City Schools Director Linda Gilbert. "We ask both voters and parents of school children to use extra caution while driving in school zones so the safety of our children is the top priority while we participate in the civic process."
The Murfreesboro Police Department will have officers stationed at all of the polling places located within a City school to assist parents and voters. These locations included Reeves-Rogers, Mitchell-Neilson, Hobgood, John Pittard, Northfield, Erma Siegel, Cason Lane Academy, Discovery School at Bellwood and Black Fox.
In addition to officers inside the school, traffic officers will be monitoring school zones and strictly enforcing speeding, seatbelt usage and proper use of child restraints. Lt. Steve Teeters says they will ticket speeders...
The MPD reminds parents and voters to leave early, be patient, and avoid distractions like mobile phone usage or texting.
"Remember, your primary responsibility is to drive safely, especially in school zones," advised Chief of Police Glenn Chrisman. "We want everyone to have a great and safe start to the school year while providing a safe location for residents to vote on Election Day."
Murfreesboro Schools open for a half-day August 6. The next day, August 7, is also Election Day, and will be the first full-day of school. Many schools will serve as polling places. The use of public restrooms will be limited.
"The first week of school is always a bit confusing as parents and students learn new drop-off zones, bus procedures and more," added Director Gilbert. "Having voting precincts open the first full-day will certainly add to the excitement. However, I feel confident that everyone will work together to make sure the first full-day of school and Election Day are successful."
City of Murfreesboro:
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AUGUST 6 Student's First Day- Student Half Day - Wed.
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AUGUST 7 Full Day for Students - Thur.
Rutherford County Schools:
