Schools are back in session today for the 2008-09 academic year, but the Liberty County School System doesn't know exactly how many students to expect.
"We won't know that number until the end of the day," said Mary Alexander, assistant superintendent for student services.
"With such a transient population, enrollment figures are hard to project until the first day of school," she explained. "We have so many families that move over the summer and do not inform the school that they will not be returning to Liberty County. These students are listed in the present projections but will be dropped from roll on the first day of school as 'no-shows.'"
For the students who stay in the county and attend one of its 14 public schools, there are a few noticeable changes this year.
"We added uniforms in the high schools," Alexander said.
This year will be the first time Liberty County high school students will be required to wear uniforms. The policy was adopted last year for elementary and middle schools, and, due to its immediate success, the Board of Education voted last April to extend the new dress code to high schools.
Lily Baker, chairwoman of the board of education, said that uniforms encourage students to focus more on their studies. "Children are more into education and less concerned about what each other is wearing," she said.
Cell phone usage sparked another policy shift for the 2008-09 academic year. According to the Liberty County School System's policy, students are not allowed to use cell phones or other electronic devices like radios, CD players, mp3 players, or pagers on school buses in order to prevent interference with the bus's communication equipment.
For more information on Liberty County's new academic policies, visit www.liberty.k12.ga.us and select "Board Policies."
"We won't know that number until the end of the day," said Mary Alexander, assistant superintendent for student services.
"With such a transient population, enrollment figures are hard to project until the first day of school," she explained. "We have so many families that move over the summer and do not inform the school that they will not be returning to Liberty County. These students are listed in the present projections but will be dropped from roll on the first day of school as 'no-shows.'"
For the students who stay in the county and attend one of its 14 public schools, there are a few noticeable changes this year.
"We added uniforms in the high schools," Alexander said.
This year will be the first time Liberty County high school students will be required to wear uniforms. The policy was adopted last year for elementary and middle schools, and, due to its immediate success, the Board of Education voted last April to extend the new dress code to high schools.
Lily Baker, chairwoman of the board of education, said that uniforms encourage students to focus more on their studies. "Children are more into education and less concerned about what each other is wearing," she said.
Cell phone usage sparked another policy shift for the 2008-09 academic year. According to the Liberty County School System's policy, students are not allowed to use cell phones or other electronic devices like radios, CD players, mp3 players, or pagers on school buses in order to prevent interference with the bus's communication equipment.
For more information on Liberty County's new academic policies, visit www.liberty.k12.ga.us and select "Board Policies."