INDIANAPOLIS -- It's nearly the end of another long, hot summer for some students, but the fight over when they go back to class is just heating up again.

Some lawmakers and educators have been battling the issue in recent years, and both sides appear dug into their positions again, 6News' Norman Cox reported.

Talk of start dates subsided when schools let out in the spring, but with Warren Township jumping out to its earliest-ever start on Aug. 2, battle lines are drawn.

Warren Township teachers were back at work Friday for in-service meetings and a pep talk from Superintendent Peggy Hinckley.

Some parents complained about school starting too early in August, but Warren nearly began classes in July.

Hinckley wasn't the least bit apologetic and said an early start benefits students.

"The problem with summer vacation is that its long gaps lead to learning, children don't retain the learning any longer," Hinckley said. "The research says that it contributes to the achievement gaps."

State Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, sponsored legislation last year that would have prevented school districts from beginning classes before Labor Day, but he backed off to give schools an opportunity to meet the Legislature halfway.

Delph said he's furious about Warren Township's early start, which comes well before the beginning of the Indiana State Fair.

"We're going in the wrong direction and going in a direction that is probably going to raise a couple of red flags with the Legislature," Delph said. "I think it will probably get the debate going again."

Hinckley said parents generally support the nine weeks on, two weeks off format, and 6News found mixed reaction among parents interviewed Friday.

Hinckley took a shot at Delph's Carmel constituents, saying that affluent parents who can provide enrichment for their children may look at the calendar differently.

"Those of us that live in metropolitan areas have a different need, and I would hope legislatively they would allow for those exceptions," she said.

At the end of the last legislative session, those who lobby for the school boards and superintendents sent a letter asking districts to back off some on start dates to avoid a confrontation with the Legislature.

That letter came too late for changes this year, but lobbyists hope for some conciliation next year.

John Ellis, of the superintendent's association, said he is taking a survey about districts' plans for next year and will have results next week.