The kids that suffer with the early start date for school are the ones outside practicing football and the ones in the bands. For some reason the TSSAA wants to start football season way too early, so the kids have to begin practice during the "dog days" of summer. We lost a kid here in Gibson County last year during practice and several other kids have also died in the last few years. I don't know whether or not global warming has anything to do with the extreme high temperatures we have been having, but I've worked in them and you really have to watch yourself. I can't imagine being in shoulder pads and helmets during the heat. I agree with a lot of you that cutting out a lot of the breaks in the school year would let school start a little later and would save money on utility bills and could save lives. Now to get the TSSAA to push their playoff and championship games back a few weeks is another question.