School starts

School began for St. Mary Parish public and Holy Cross Elementary students today.
St. Mary Parish Superintendent Donald Aguillard said no issues were reported by any schools this morning.
“The process of starting up the St. Mary Parish School System involves a countless number of moving parts requiring intense coordination. I am pleased to report that all schools opened without any significant issues, and students are already receiving instruction from our team of teachers,” Aguillard said.
He reminded parents of the importance of sending students to school in the first few days. They will be marked absent and miss important information during this time, Aguillard said.
He added that Kenneth Lockett, supervisor of child welfare and transportation, is monitoring bus routes.
Effective Aug. 1, HB 600 prohibits school bus drivers from picking up or dropping off children while the bus is in a lane of traffic.
The new law in effect does not permit students to cross any lanes of traffic to reach their bus stop.
Aguillard said Wednesday, “Routes were planned well ahead of recent legislation. Mr. Lockett has already addressed major highways 317, 318, 182, Federal Avenue, Red Cypress, etc. Smaller roadways will need study to assess time constraints and additional assets.”
This morning, he said bus pickup “went fine.”
Joe Stadalis, principal of J.S. Aucoin Elementary in Amelia, said, “We had an awesome start to school with an attendance rate over 95 percent. Students and teachers are eager to take on the new school year.”
There were 8,471 students attending public schools today, Aguillard said.
Tim Hymel, principal of Berwick Junior High, said “Things are going smoothly and the kids seem happy to be back at school. It’s nice to see the school alive with children.”
At Morgan City High, Principal Mickey Fabre reported that classrooms and teachers were ready for the influx of students.
School personnel faced a monumental task in getting classrooms ready as construction of the new library, media center and student commons area done in conjunction with an air conditioner replacement project dragged into the final days before school.
Officials toured the school and its $3.55 million construction project Monday to determine whether the school could, in fact, open on time.
Employees still have to strip and wax some areas of the hallways that they were unable to get to during construction, Fabre said.
“We plan on tackling those areas over the weekend. Overall, we are extremely happy with the first day and hope that it is just the beginning to a phenomenal school year,” Fabre said.
Otherwise, Fabre said, “We had a very smooth start to the school year. Our junior and senior ‘ambassadors’ greeted students as they entered school this morning.”
Meanwhile, Amanda Talbot, principal at Holy Cross Elementary, reported a smooth start to the school year, adding, “I’ve been visiting all the classrooms. The kids are excited.”