Casey County Schools in Kentucky are delaying the start of the school year by one week due to a severe water shortage. Superintendent Barry Lee stated that the district recognized the severity of the problem about two months ago and decided to push back the start date to conserve water.

Conservation Efforts

The district is taking several measures to reduce water usage, including eliminating pressure washing and reducing the washing of school buses. The district is also purchasing bottled water for athletic teams instead of using water at school facilities.

Superintendent Lee plans to extend water conservation efforts to students inside school buildings as well, by reducing the usage of water fountains and providing bottled water for students. At least one student, Kalyn Lee, welcomes the extra week before school begins, citing the need to prepare for senior year activities.

To make up for the lost instructional time, the district will use a variable calendar, adding five minutes to each school day. This will allow the district to add minutes to the day instead of additional days going deep into the month of June.

Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.