St. Johns County: Everything you need to know as kids head back to school

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Summer vacation came to an end and students in St. Johns County headed back to school on Friday.

Students, parents and teachers weren't the only ones gearing up for the first day of school.

WATCH: Tour of new Palm Valley school on first day

Bus drivers were also getting ready to head back out on the roads to pick up thousands of students across the district on Friday. This year, buses will travel millions of miles on their routes.

St. Johns County facts

  • This year, 21,000 students will ride the bus to school.
  • There will be a total of 258 school buses covering about 4.7 million miles throughout the entire school year .
  • There are roughly 7,000 bus stops in the entire county.

WATCH: Looking at St. Johns County school growth

Bus stop safety reminders 

  • Make sure your kids are standing away from the road while they are waiting for the bus to arrive.
  • Students should not push or shove at the bus stop.
  • If possible, the school district recommends parents stay with their children until the bus arrives.

The school district recommends that students get to their bus stop at least five minutes before their scheduled pickup time. 

School safety

Students will notice several new safety measures this school year. According to Superintendent Tim Forson, there will be:

  • Stricter rules for people to enter school buildings during the day.
  • Classroom doors that will lock during the day.
  • A resource officer or security officer at every school in the district.

These security measures are in place, starting on the first day of school.

"I think our world is such that there have been tragedies that have occurred in this past year and even in years past that make us concerned and make us understand that we have to do our very best. It’s a different day than even five years ago and we have to do everything we can to make a safe environment -- make mom and dad feel comfortable when they leave their child off in the morning," Forson said.

WATCH: Interview with Superintendent Tim Forson on The Morning Show

During the first two weeks of school, students and teachers in the school district will also have to watch training videos on how to respond in an active shooter situation. These are all measures to ensure that students can learn in a safe environment from the first day of school forward.


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