By HOLLY GASKILL
Norwell middle and high schools will shift their daily schedule this upcoming school year, beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 2:30 p.m.
The Norwell board of trustees approved the change at their Tuesday meeting, as recommended by Superintendent Mike Springer. In working through transitions within the district’s transportation department, Springer said the drivers requested more time between the routes for the middle and high schools and elementary schools.
While the groups considered moving the elementary schools’ schedule back, Springer said that solution ultimately created more problems, particularly with extracurricular activities. He added that he would also work with the drivers to ensure more efficiency and better ECA scheduling this year.
“I don’t know if this is a forever timeframe, but I feel like we need to do this for this next year,” Springer concluded.
Alongside this, the board again discussed upcoming changes to traffic routes at Ossian Elementary School and Norwell middle and high schools.
The intersection at County Road 100 East and U.S. 224 is set to receive a four-way stop in the coming days, although it was unclear when that is to begin. Springer stated signage in the area indicates the four-way stop is being implemented on July 24, however, the county had previously announced the effective date would be July 29.
Regardless, many parents will experience the change for the first time during school registration at the high school on July 29.
The district administration and board have expressed some concern with the sudden change before the school year. The board announced the change at their last meeting, on July 9; at the following Wells County Commissioner meeting, multiple officials advised it was the first they had heard about the change from the Indiana Department of Transportation.
“I think all of us know that that intersection is a problem,” Springer said. “What’s the right answer? There’s really only a few solutions … Probably none of them are great.”
“And we didn’t get to make the choice,” Topp added.
Alongside this, the board reiterated changing traffic patterns at OES to accommodate the one-lane traffic at the bridge on the south side of Ossian. Parents will drop off and pick up their students along the north side of the building, coming in on Metts Street and exiting onto Melching Drive. Buses will pick up and drop off on the west side of the building. The first student day is Aug. 7.
holly@news-banner.com
