The Johnston County School Board voted Tuesday to spread the opening times of 22 schools next year, with nearby schools starting as much as ninety minutes apart and high schools starting as early as 7:15 a.m. The chairman said public hearings were unnecessary because the board received “plenty of input last year” when a similar plan was proposed, then withdrawn, for Clayton schools this year.
The new plan includes not only Clayton but also the Smithfield-Selma and West Johnston attendance zones.
About thirty-six hours later, a student was struck by a hit-and-run driver at a bus stop two miles from the latter high school. Investigators said it was “dark and foggy” when the 6:30 a.m. accident occurred. West Johnston High School will start twenty minutes earlier next year.
I expect more “input” is coming shortly.
