Guthrie Schools to release students one hour early for concert

Guthrie Public School announced Tuesday morning they will be dismissing classes on September 6 an hour early due to the Gentleman of the Road Stopover.

The school district made the decision to release students at 2:10 p.m. based on  the expected increase of vehicular traffic with the Guthrie Stopover, that is expected to bring an estimated crowd of 35,000 to 50,000 concert goers. The Stopover is scheduled for Sept. 6 and 7.

Buses will also run their routes at 2:10 p.m. and parents are encouraged to have their child ride the bus if that is the normal practice.

“We have been working out the minor changes necessary with transportation as we began the school year. With those mostly finalized and much more information about what to expect for the traffic on September 6, we began looking at different options,” Superintendent Dr. Mike Simpson said in a released statement.

“Obviously, as a community, we are excited about the upcoming concert along with the many visitors which will become temporary residents of Guthrie,”

Simpson went on to say the school day will count toward the allotted time that schools are required to meet throughout the school year.

“Hopefully, families will have enough advanced notice to make necessary plans and busses will avoid the traffic challenges which should grow later in the day. By doing an early release of this nature, we will still be able to count Friday as a day of school. I would encourage all parents to avoid picking up their child after school if that is not the normal practice in their family. This will only make traffic more challenging and possibly delay our busses.”