Carter County Schools

As part of our commitment to student safety, accountability and equitable access to all school services, Carter County Schools will be updating transportation procedures for students attending the Carter County Career and Technical Center (3CTC).

Beginning April 6, 2026 all students attending 3CTC will be required to ride district-provided school bus transportation to and from the 3CTC during the school day. Those students who are hybrid CVA and 3CTC must ride the bus from their regularly assigned high school to and from the 3CTC.

This change is being made to:
Improve student safety by ensuring all students are under school supervision during the instructional day.
Strengthen attendance and accountability during transitions between campuses.
Maximize instructional time and reduce missed class time.
Ensure access to school services including food service and student supports.
Create consistency and fairness across all student groups.

We understand this is a shift from past practice. However, this expectation aligns with our responsibility to provide a safe, structured, and equitable learning environment for all students.

Principals will communicate any information students need about bus details.

Thank you for your support as we continue to raise expectations and strengthen systems for our students

Have questions about the Pathfinder Coalition and the survey? Check out this informational video - a production of West Carter Multimedia.

youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=vzNPhBK7_cE

Please take a few minutes to complete this consent form for your student (in grades 7-12) to complete this survey, being hosted by our community partner, The Pathfinder Coalition. Remember that the goal of this coalition is to provide community opportunities to our students and families.

WCMS

https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/wcms/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-wcms

ECMS

https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/ecms/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-ecms

ECHS

https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/echs/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-echs

WCHS

https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/wchs/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-wchs

To ensure the safety and well-being of all students, we are implementing consistent procedures regarding beverages brought from home. Some of our schools already follow these procedures, but we need consistent safety measures across the district.

Effective beginning Monday (March 23, 2026):
-All store-bought beverages must remain unopened and retain their original factory seal upon arrival at school.
-Reusable containers (e.g., Stanley cups, Owala bottles, etc.) must be empty when students arrive. Students may then use our bottle filling stations to fill their container.
-Opened or non-sealed containers are not permitted.

Please note that these procedures apply to all students and are in place to ensure student safety and consistency across our schools, help us maintain a safe school environment, and to prevent the presence of any unknown or potentially unsafe substances on campuses.

Join us in wishing good luck to our students who will be competing at KAAC State Finals this weekend!

The Community Baby Shower, scheduled for tomorrow, has a NEW LOCATION!
The event will be held at Globe Christian Church in Olive Hill.

A Snow Day is a great opportunity to take a few minutes to complete the permission slip for your student to be able to participate in the student survey being hosted by our community partner, The Pathfinder Coalition. Remember that the goal of this coalition is to provide community opportunities to our students and families. Please take a minute to complete. This is for students in grades 7-12.

WCMS

https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/wcms/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-wcms

ECMS

https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/ecms/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-ecms

ECHS

https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/echs/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-echs

WCHS

https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/wchs/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-wchs

Graduation Ceremonies are scheduled for May 22 & 23, 2026

Carter County Schools will be on a 2 hour delay Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

We were notified by Kentucky Transportation that a bridge at KY 2 and KY 396 has had its weight limit reduced to 3,000 pounds which prohibits a bus from crossing. Our transportation department has determined alternate routes to detour around that bridge. The drivers this impacts are Bruce Tilsley and Stanley Belcher. We do not know how much of a delay this will cause for students until we attempt the routes today but if students on those buses are late arriving home today, this is the reason.

Engaging students in their community was the theme today in Mrs. Emaley Pereyra's room. Olive Hill Tourism Commission members came to speak to and hear ideas from 6th grade students in the Project Based Learning Class and 7th and 8th grade members of the Student Executive Committee. Students shared great ideas of ways to improve the community and enhance tourism and they learned about upcoming events from the Commission members.

We are excited to partner with several local agencies and organizations to host a community Special Needs Resource Fair. Individuals (children & adults) with disabilities, parents, and caregivers are invited to attend. Come out and make connections and learn about services and available resources for you and your family. All are welcome to this FREE event. Mark your calendar and plan to attend! (For planning purposes, scan the QR code.)

🚀✈️ Introducing the 1ST2FLY STEAM Festival! ✈️🚀Carter County students - if you are interested in participating, the first step is to turn in your Pathfinder Survey Permission form by Thursday, March 12. Your parent/guardian can do this at the links below.

WCMS - https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/wcms/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-wcms
ECMS - https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/ecms/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-ecms
ECHS - https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/echs/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-echs
WCHS - https://www.cartercountyschools.org/o/wchs/forms/carter-county-pathfinder-initiative-youth-survey-wchs

Coming to Carter County — the Commonwealth’s birthplace of aviation — the 1ST2FLY STEAM Festival is a two-day event connecting students with hands-on STEM, aviation, and real-world career pathways.

🧪 STEM activities
✈️ Aviation experiences
🛠️ Career exploration
🎓 Colleges & workforce partners
👨‍👩‍👧 Family-friendly fun

If you are a senior planning to attend college this fall and looking to sharpen up your writing skills before you go off to pursue your post-secondary education, this workshop is for you! We are excited to offer two sessions - one at ECHS (April 6) and one at WCHS (April 13) from 4:00-6:00 pm. These sessions are FREE and will focus on some of the topics that university professors say incoming freshmen struggle with the most in college essay writing - clear thesis development, analyzing textual evidence, avoiding plagiarism and using AI appropriately, and maintaining academic tone in writing.

If you plan to attend a session, please sign up at this link or by scanning the QR code on the flyer. Be sure to select the site you will attend (ECHS or WCHS). https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfq9b9cSJ5WdV6KBfRLFJjH9nirWxhf_uBWfJwJemFbWCKspA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=102140634974959135667

Carter County Schools will be on regular schedule Wednesday February 25, 2026. Also, as a reminder, we will are now operating with 20 additional instructional minutes in our school day which will impact dismissal/pickup/afternoon bus routes. It will not impact morning schedules.

There will be no school in Carter County Tuesday 2.24.26. Our side roads in much of the county are snow covered and slick.

As of now Carter County will have school tomorrow, Tuesday 2.24.26, on regular schedule. We will check road conditions in the morning and if anything is different, we will let everyone know as soon as possible.

Good Luck to our elementary students competing in the Region Governor's Cup Academic Competition this week!

Carter County Schools (Ky) will be closed Monday February 23, 2026 due to snow covered, slick roads. This is a traditional snow day as we do not have any more NTI days.

Please find a copy of a letter from me that I hope will clarify the amendments to the 2025-2026 school calendar. Thank you!