In preparation for the Thursday night Bills game at Highmark Stadium, thousands of students in Orchard Park, Hamburg, and Frontier Central School districts will be dismissed early from school, a decision motivated by safety concerns. School leaders believe this early dismissal is necessary to ensure the safety of the students.
Hamburg school superintendent, Michael Cornell, explained that the district opted to conclude school 20 minutes early rather than implementing a half-day schedule to better accommodate parents. He emphasized that half-days can be disruptive for families, as it can be challenging for parents with young children to arrange childcare for such a short period. The priority was to maximize the students’ learning time, hence the decision to dismiss slightly earlier.
For some parents like Rebecca Zdrogewski, who has children in the Frontier Central School district, this adjustment in the school schedule can be somewhat inconvenient. She normally works overnight as a nurse and the early pickup times disrupt her schedule. Having to collect her one daughter from middle school at 10:30 a.m. and her other daughter from elementary school at 11:30 a.m. means she has to alter her resting routine before work. While she acknowledges the safety reasons behind the early dismissal, she finds 10:30 a.m. to be excessively early given the 8 o’clock game time, leaving a substantial four-hour gap between school dismissal and the game. She questions the significant interruption to the limited time children already have for their education, especially for a Bills game.
Melody Nardone, a parent with a child in the Orchard Park School District, is in favor of the district’s decision to release students early in preparation for the upcoming game. She expressed her satisfaction with this arrangement, primarily due to her desire to avoid the potential traffic and complications associated with game day. Thursday night Bills game
Nardone explained her perspective, saying, “I think it’s great. The district made a great decision to have an early dismissal.” She acknowledged the well-known enthusiasm of the Bills Mafia and the fact that tailgating can begin as early as 10 a.m. on game days. She highlighted the importance of preventing inebriated drivers on the road during the pregame festivities, underscoring the safety aspect of the early dismissal.