Schools
UPDATE: Shutdown Could Close Cherokee Head Start Classes
Head Start classes at three Cherokee pre-school facilities could close due to the partial government shutdown.
UPDATE on Oct. 7, 2013: The Cherokee County School District has been informed that Head Start Classes will resume on Tuesday Oct. 8.
"CCSD administrators have notified all families affected by the change, as well as teachers and support staff," the district said on its Facebook page.
ORIGINAL STORY
The partial government shutdown could soon be felt in Head Start classes in the Cherokee County School District.
Those classes at three Cherokee County School District pre-school centers — Ralph Bunche Center, Little River and Oak Grove pre-school centers — are in danger of being cancelled due to the Washington, D.C. impasse.
In a letter sent home to parents, principal Donna Adams writes that since teachers at those three facilities are funded with federal dollars, those classrooms will be "directly impacted" by the partial government shutdown that went into effect on Tuesday.
With the help of partners with Ninth District Opportunity, the district has enough funding to keep the classes going through Friday.
However, if the federal stalemate continues, classes will be cancelled after Friday "unless the federal government is able to end its shutdown or restore funding through some type of federal action," Adams writes.
Parents who have children with Individualized Education Plans, or IEPs, for special education will be notified with other communication with regards to how those services will continue during the closure.
"Since there is a distinct possibility that your child will not be able to attend one of the school district's Head Start classrooms as early as Monday October 7, I would advise you begin making alternative plans for your child during the time in which they would normally attend the Head Start program," she concludes.
The district has six teachers for its Head Start classes that are funded with federal dollars, spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby said.
See the attached .PDF to read the letter.
Tell us: do you have children attending Head Start classes? How will this impact you?
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