Beginning this week, all Wake public schools will let out one hour early on Wednesdays to allow teachers to meet, plan, and try to improve the academic experience for students.
In order to make up that hour, the school day will be ten minutes longer the other four days of the week.
Some parents say the early dismissals are an inconvenience which will cause problems and add costs to afterschool child care.
School bus service will also change.
After several instances last year in which children were left at the wrong stops, sent home early, or left unattended, extra attention will be given to some of the youngest riders.
For the first 20 school days, kindergartners and first graders will wear name tags when they get on their bus.
The tags will have the student's name, his or her school, phone number, bus route number and bus stop.
Three brand new schools were among those that opened Tuesday morning.
They include Banks Road Elementary, Herbert Akins Road Elementary and Lake Myra Elementary.
For more information about year-round Wake County schools, click here to visit the Wake County Public School System's back to school Web page.
