MONROE - Students at Monroe High School will not leave school early this year for Homecoming because the parade will now be held at 4 p.m. Friday.
High school students had been let out of school in the past at 2:30 p.m. to view the parade prior to the football game. But this year, students will be let out of school at the normal time of 3:18 p.m., and children who use the bus to get to and from school will not have the opportunity to be bussed out to Lincoln Park on 15th Avenue to view the parade.
Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner said the buses will not stop at the parade route due to safety concerns.
"Some students rode the bus there (Lincoln Park) and then were picked up or asked to go home from there on their own with no communication to the school or bus company," Hirsbrunner said in an email.
She said students not wanting to attend the parade or choosing to find their own way home from the parade caused consistency issues, and the school hopes to avoid those issues this year. Hirsbrunner said they are taking the example of other school districts that have their Homecoming parades start later so parents and students can attend the football game soon afterwards at 7 p.m.
Hirsbrunner said she has not heard any complaints from parents about the changed schedule, but some have questioned why the parade is running later.
"Once explained, people seem to understand why we are trying something new and that if it works other places, maybe it can here as well," she said.
The parade will run its usual route north on 15th Avenue past Monroe Middle School and around about three-quarters of the Square before heading back to MHS.
"This year, it is up to each family to make the decision if they want their children to attend the parade or not, and we will keep the regular school day primarily intact," Hirsbrunner said.
High school students had been let out of school in the past at 2:30 p.m. to view the parade prior to the football game. But this year, students will be let out of school at the normal time of 3:18 p.m., and children who use the bus to get to and from school will not have the opportunity to be bussed out to Lincoln Park on 15th Avenue to view the parade.
Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner said the buses will not stop at the parade route due to safety concerns.
"Some students rode the bus there (Lincoln Park) and then were picked up or asked to go home from there on their own with no communication to the school or bus company," Hirsbrunner said in an email.
She said students not wanting to attend the parade or choosing to find their own way home from the parade caused consistency issues, and the school hopes to avoid those issues this year. Hirsbrunner said they are taking the example of other school districts that have their Homecoming parades start later so parents and students can attend the football game soon afterwards at 7 p.m.
Hirsbrunner said she has not heard any complaints from parents about the changed schedule, but some have questioned why the parade is running later.
"Once explained, people seem to understand why we are trying something new and that if it works other places, maybe it can here as well," she said.
The parade will run its usual route north on 15th Avenue past Monroe Middle School and around about three-quarters of the Square before heading back to MHS.
"This year, it is up to each family to make the decision if they want their children to attend the parade or not, and we will keep the regular school day primarily intact," Hirsbrunner said.