TWIN FALLS, Idaho — So long, summer break!
"Yay! School!!!" yelled a few Sawtooth students.
The new school year is officially underway for around 9,000 students in the Twin Falls School District. Neighborhood Reporter Joey Martin stopped by Sawtooth Elementary and O'Leary Middle School on Monday, where students and staff are ready to kick off the new year.
WATCH: Sawtooth Elementary unveils new parent Pick-Up and Drop-Off policy
"I'm so excited to see all the kids back; we're ready for them, and we're going to have a great year," said Ace Marcellus, principal of O'Leary Middle School.
"It was fun to see the kids come back, and the parents were excited. We had a good morning," said Noell Bautista, principal of Sawtooth Elementary.
Across the district, each school sets specific safety policies. This year, Principal Noell Bautista explains that students and parents will notice some changes at Sawtooth Elementary.
"We're making progress in student safety. We have a very large playground, which is lovely and wonderful; we want our community to have access to it during non-school hours, but we also want to ensure the safety of our students," said Noell Bautista.
The new safety measures include fencing off the entire playground area and a new procedure for parent pick-up.
"We have these neat little placards that will hang from the rear-view mirror of parents' cars. In our designated loop, the cars will come up, and the placard will display the student's name. We'll pull them up, and the kids will jump right into the car and head home after school," explained Bautista.
"Before school, if parents want to walk their kids to class, that’s fine. But once the first bell rings, we ask that they remain outside the gated area."
The school is also introducing a staggered release schedule to help reduce congestion.
"The kids who are being picked up by parents will come out first through the hall. Then we have bus pick-up, which is in a different loop at the front of our building. Finally, the walkers will be released last to go home with their siblings," Bautista added.
During this trial run, each student will receive one placard, but families can request more at the school office.
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