Construction projects to improve William James Middle School’s campus will temporarily change access to the school through possibly July 1. 
Hayley Greene, director of Public Relations for Bulloch County Schools, said in an email that the school’s main entrance on U.S. Highway 80 West has been blocked since the school closed for Christmas break on Dec. 17 for a dual construction project.

Classes resume on Wednesday, and everyone, including parents, will temporarily use Simons Road as the school’s main drive, Greene said. Simons Road is on the east side of the school.  

All vehicles dropping off and picking up students in the morning and afternoon will temporarily use the School Bus Ramp drive, which is the first road to the right on campus off of Simons Road.

All school buses will now use the new Knight Drive, which is the second road to the right on campus off of Simons Road. All visitors to campus, other than student pick up and drop off, also will use Knight Drive to access visitor parking and the building's front entrance. 

For residents and businesses who need to access Simons Road between the hours of 7:30-8 a.m. and 3-3:45 p.m. the school district advises them to consider using Miller Road Extension off Veterans Memorial Parkway (the Bypass) to access Simons Road. 

The road construction stems from more than $2.9 million in funds approved by Bulloch County voters’ support of a special local option sales tax referendum. The project will add a new main driveway entrance and parking off of Highway 80 West.  
Also, in June 2021, the Bulloch County Board of Education approved a bid for a new athletic complex at William James. Designed by Hussey Gay Bell Architecture and constructed by Dabbs Williams Contractors, the athletic complex will include six tennis courts, a combined football-soccer field, softball field, baseball field, concession stands and restrooms.
The complex will allow the school’s football, soccer, tennis, softball and baseball programs to practice and compete on the school campus for the first time in school history.
A similar athletic complex is being built at Langston Chapel Middle School and the Board of Education approved $5.25 million to fund both projects.
“Middle school athletic facilities were a priority item identified by both the Board of Education’s E-SPLOST IV and Facilities committees,” Greene said. “The community committees met to review and prioritize a proposed list of projects to guide the use of the funds generated by the education special-purpose local option sales tax for capital improvements”
Registered voters in Bulloch County approved in a special election in 2017, the one-cent sales and use tax for educational purposes for a five-year period – Jan. 1, 2019-Dec. 31, 2023. E-SPLOST IV will raise approximately $60 million for identified capital improvement projects at each of the school district’s 15 schools and alternative learning centers.