NASH COUNTY, N.C. — Instead of hitting the beach, students at Nash-Rocky Mount High Schools will be hitting the books, starting today. A

waiver

allowed the high schools to get around the state's new school calendar law, which mandates schools start no earlier than Aug. 25.

"If we had to start after (August) 25th, we'd have to regroup and look at what we have, so the students don't suffer," said Sylvia Matthews, of Nash-Rocky Mount schools.

The high schools are starting early so that some students can engage in even higher learning. Five hundred students take classes at Nash Community College, and school officials said the schedules need to be in sync.

"They're on our campus. To have two calendars is inconvenient to say the least," said Bill Carver, of Nash Community College.

Edgecombe County high schools pushed for an earlier start date for the same reason. They also have an exemption to accomdate students who want to take college courses.

Aug. 11 may seem really early to some families, but Edgecombe County high school students did enjoy a longer summer vacation. Last year, they started school Aug. 4. Elementary and middle school students in Nash and Edgecombe counties will start school Aug. 25.