Hall County Schools are starting classes this Friday, August 1, and school district officials are touting facility and safety upgrades ahead of the new school year.
Stan Lewis, director of community relations for the district, said in addition to opening the county's newest elementary school, Everwood Elementary in Oakwood, renovation projects are also underway at several other schools in the county.
"Johnson and North Hall high schools still have a lot of construction going on. We're not finished yet, but it's exciting to watch things come together, and in time, both of those campuses are going to get some much-needed extra classroom space as well as some upgrades," Lewis said.
Lewis added that renovations have been going on through the summer at the former campus of White Sulphur Elementary School, which recently combined with Riverbend Elementary to form Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary School near Lula. The White Sulphur building will now be used as the Ivester Early College North Campus, expanding the county's dual enrollment program.
"It's going to cut down travel for students in the northern end of the district, and it's going to increase our capacity to offer a college experience to more of our college students," Lewis said.
Lewis also noted that World Language Academy, formerly located on Ga. 53 in the Chestnut Mountain area, is now being relocated to the former site of Oakwood Elementary School. The Oakwood building has been left vacant by that school, combining with McEver Arts Academy to form Everwood Elementary, and Lewis said WLA will occupy it while the district prepares to build a new facility in Chestnut Mountain.
"We will clear that old campus out there in the Chestnut Mountain area and start building them a world-class school building over there on that property. It will take us a couple of years to get that done," Lewis said.
On the school safety front, Lewis touted cameras that were recently installed on several of the school district's buses to catch those who violate school bus stop signs. New Georgia law has stiffened the penalties for those violations to a $1,000 fine and 6 points against the offender's license.
Lewis also said new school resource officers have been added to cover the county's elementary schools.
"We now have 9 SRO's who are fully dedicated to our elementary schools, and that is key," Lewis said. "We're feeling very confident about that."
Hall County is one of a number of area school systems going back to class Friday, August 1. County school systems in Banks, Barrow, Dawson and Lumpkin counties also return to school, as well as Buford, Commerce and Jefferson city schools.
For the full list of school start dates, including local colleges and universities, click here.
