Team attacks schedule disaster

South High kids finally get classes

Tuesday, September 12, 2000

By JANET OKOBEN

PLAIN DEALER REPORTER

Three by three, South High School students were called out of homeroom yesterday to learn their class schedules, some for the first time this year.

A scheduling mess had left scores of students sitting in the auditorium or cafeterias since school started Aug. 24 because they had no classes to attend. A team of administrators from outside the high school was brought in to draw up schedules for hundreds of students who had large gaps in their schedules or no schedules at all. A total of 169 students hadnt had any schedule before yesterday, said Dan Minnich, a district spokesman.

The district had promised that all South students would have schedules by yesterday. Minnich admitted that "a few glitches" still existed, and some students were still trying to get classes, but most were now on track. The district, however, denied a Plain Dealer reporters request to visit the school yesterday to observe.

Students like Bianka Humphreys, a sophomore who finally got into classes yesterday, are glad to be done spending the school day in an auditorium.

"I felt bored, I know that," she said yesterday after school, sipping on a bottle of fruit punch on her way home.

Others werent so lucky. Latasha Miller, a ninth-grader, said she still didnt have any classes. Her name was never called when groups of students went in for schedules.

"Im going to try to bring my mother in tomorrow because shes not going to be happy about this," Latasha said as she waited for a bus after school.

The team of administrators will continue to help until all schedules are final. Principal Deborah E. Pye held a meeting with parents Saturday that appeared to go well, Minnich said.

Students had an extra homeroom period while schedules were assigned yesterday, but, otherwise, a full day of classes was held. During the first full week of school, Aug 28-Sept. 1, students attended school only in the morning and were released at 1:05 p.m. because of the scheduling problem. Last week, when schedules still were incomplete for many students, some simply stayed home.

Jennifer Smigelski, a 10th-grader, had classes to take last week, but was missing biology. Yesterday, she was able to complete her schedule and said things seemed to be getting back to normal.

Officials said a variety of factors caused the scheduling problems, including the departure last year of the employee who was in charge of scheduling. Minnich said no one had been disciplined for the situation.

E-mail: jokoben@plaind.com

Phone: (216) 999-4535

)2000 THE PLAIN DEALER. Used with permission

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