SCHOOL TO BUS KINDERGARTNERS FOR CLASS

Some 28 Clippard Elementary School kindergartners will be bused temporarily to a nearby church until a mobile classroom ordered by the district arrives next month.

Principal Stan Seiler announced Thursday that the students would attend school in the youth center at the First Assembly of God Church at 750 N. Mount Auburn Road, until an extra classroom is in place. Completion of the mobile classroom, which is necessary because of high enrollment at the school, isn't expected before mid-September.

School board members decided Aug. 7 to end kindergarten reassignments within the district and to place extra kindergarten sections in mobile classrooms at Clippard and Franklin elementary schools. The decision came after a number of Clippard parents objected to a random selection process that would result in the busing of reassigned children to the nearest school with available kindergarten slots.

The irony of the announcement Thursday did not go unnoticed by Seiler, who said the church was the best possible site for the students under the circumstances.

"The pastor and members of First Assembly have been very genial and kind and concerned," Seiler said. "The reason we chose that spot is it's close to the school. In issues of practicality, availability, accessibility, convenience and all those things we look at, it fit the bill very well.

The church is less than a quarter-mile from Clippard, said Seiler, so the bus ride will be short and will not interfere with the students' curriculum or learning environment. There is a playground on the site that students will use, and physical education, art and music teachers will travel to the site. Sack lunches will be prepared for the students, or they may bring their own lunches to school.

Children will also begin and end their day at Clippard so they understand they still have a connection with the school, he said.

"The students will come to Clippard, and we'll then transport them to the church, and the same thing will happen in reverse in the afternoons," he said. "This does a couple of things. First, it lets the kids become familiar with Clippard and the routines of the morning and afternoon. Second, it will help them realize they're a part of Clippard."

Assistant Superintendent David Giles said the temporary reassignment reflects the cooperation that often takes place between local churches and the school district. No such arrangement will be needed at Franklin, he said, because existing kindergarten classes will absorb the extra students until a larger mobile classroom arrives to replace an existing one.

Seiler said a letter will be sent to all kindergarten parents explaining the temporary reassignment. He will also make a presentation during kindergarten orientation, which takes place at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the school.