NELSONVILLE, Ohio — The Nelsonville-York School District broke from tradition earlier this month when it decided to have school on Dec. 2, the first day of deer gun season.
All five other county school districts — Athens, Alexander, Federal Hocking, Trimble and Tri-County — continue to give “Deer Day” off. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, hunters in Athens County harvested 459 deer on the first day of the 2024 deer gun season and 1,438 deer in total.
The decision to have classes sparked debate on local social media pages, with state Rep. Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville), a Nelsonville-York alum, sharing his thoughts in a Facebook post.
“It saddens me that Nelsonville-York is breaking with tradition of giving students the Opening Day of gun season off of school,” Jay Edwards wrote in his Facebook post.
Rep. Edwards did not respond to messages requesting comment on his post.
Nelsonville-York Superintendent Rick Edwards said that the district had an altruistic motivation to hold classes Dec. 2.
“Currently, we have over 15 families that are homeless. We have children who have food insecurities,” the superintendent said. “We are a warm and nurturing environment for families who need their children to come to school.”
Rick Edwards added that families have the option to pull their children from classes for that day to take them hunting — and a number of students did so.
“If families choose that children can go hunting, that’s upon them,” Rick Edwards said. “But we have families that need us to be here.”
However, the choice isn’t so simple for student athletes. Athletic Director Jay Kline said that district policy requires athletes to be in school by 1 p.m. in order to participate in practices.
Asa Bentley, a Nelsonville-York alum and father of a current student, commented on Jay Edwards’ Facebook post that he planned to take his son hunting. But his son, a senior, went to school because the wrestling team had practice that day.
“He had wrestling practice and since school was in session he had to attend plus go to practice,” Bentley told the Independent in a Facebook message.
In his Facebook post, Jay Edwards recalled Deer Days from his youth.
“This day always brings back so many memories of my childhood with my Dad and brothers. From sighting in our guns over the weekend, to finding the hunter’s orange clothes, figuring out unique ways to stay warm, packing our lunch, eating breakfast at Dee’s Diner, and most importantly, spending the day in the woods with my Dad,” he wrote. “I hope next year they reconsider this decision.”
As of Dec. 12, the post had drawn 228 likes, 11 shares and over 20 comments — nearly all of them agreeing.
In the commenters’ view, Deer Day is a cultural and family tradition even for non-hunters. For Bentley, it’s an opportunity for students to gain practical experiences that are part of a well-rounded education.
“I feel that education is important and needs to be a priority,” Bentley wrote. “But if we are holding youth to a standard of progress, learning self-sustaining skills is a right that needs its place in the hustle and bustle.”
Jay Edwards did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
