Hamilton County school board approves East Hamilton, Ooltewah rezoning
At its March 19 meeting, the Hamilton County Board of Education approved zoning changes for East Hamilton School, Ooltewah Middle and High, Hillcrest and Harrison Elementary schools in light of new schools opening this fall.
Students who live in seven areas in the East Brainerd and Ooltewah areas of the county would be rezoned from Ooltewah Middle and Ooltewah High to the new East Hamilton Middle and East Hamilton High, including neighborhoods such as Valley View, Holly Hills, Forest Shadow Estates, and Cedar Creek, Oak Shadows, Lakes of Standifer and Shenandoah - which were not included in the original proposal.
Students who now attend Hillcrest Elementary School and Harrison Elementary School will be moved to the new elementary school in Harrison that is now under construction, and Hillcrest will close at the end of this school year.
The new zoning goes into effect for the 2020-21 school year. There are some options for students who are in their final years at a specific school, but families are encouraged to contact the district with concerns or questions about their attendance zones.
See the proposals, which were approved last week, below.
Budget work session rescheduled for March 26
The Hamilton County school board is also expected to meet this Thursday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m. for its first budget work session in light of school closures and the coronavirus pandemic.
The meeting was rescheduled from March 19 due to coronavirus concerns as the board figured out its new plan for public board meetings.
The district has not put out official information, but the meeting is likely to be limited to board members, essential staff and media. The public will be encouraged to watch the live-stream of the meeting.
Visit www.hcde.org for more information.
YFD centers provide free online tutoring
Staff from the city of Chattanooga's Youth and Family Development Centers are providing free online homework help and tutoring while school is out, according to a post by Hamilton County Schools.
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., tutoring is provided online using Google Hangouts and offered in one-hour increments.
Contact education@chattanooga.gov with questions.
Cleveland's Great Strides Weekend 2020 rescheduled for September
The 20th annual Great Strides Walk and 18th annual 65 Roses 5k hosted each year at Lee University in Cleveland has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12.
The event, originally scheduled to take place Saturday, March 28, has been postponed due to the threat of COVID-19, according to a news release.
"The cystic fibrosis community is strong and full of resolve," said Dr. Mike Hayes, vice president for student development at Lee and chairman of the Cleveland Great Strides planning committee, in a statement. "Their determination to change the lives of their loved ones fighting this disease is unending, and we will continue to stand with them in that fight. The 65 Roses 5k and Great Strides Walk at Lee University is simply rescheduled for a later date. We plan to be back on campus with all of our students and excited to host the Great Strides teams and 65 Roses runners."
In place of the physical walk this Saturday, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's East Tennessee chapter will host a virtual walk day experience through its social media channels. Great Strides participants are encouraged to post their own videos walking or running using #TNStillStrides and #GreatStrides to show their support for all fighting cystic fibrosis.
"While we look forward to having everyone together for the walk and run at Lee later this year, we could not let our original Great Strides walk day pass without taking a moment to gather as a community and to show all of our CF Fighters and their families that we are thinking of them and are still here to support and care for them, even in this most challenging time," said Leigh Ellington, executive director of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Tennessee chapter, in a statement.
For more information, visit www.leeuniversity.edu/cf.
If you have news about local schools or about something impacting local students that you'd like included in Class Notes, email Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com.