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It’s going to be a busy and exciting day on Monday for  teachers, administrators and staff at Austin Public Schools and Pacelli Catholic Schools, while elsewhere, students are already behind a desk for the 2024-25 school year.

The first day of school is always an important date during the year, signifying a new start with new possibilities, but let’s make sure it’s getting off on the right foot.

The mornings and afternoons are particularly busy times as parents are coming and going, dropping students off or picking them up and we want that to be a safe time for all parties involved.

Pay extra close attention to driving in school zones and take the opportunity to slow your roll. With so many vehicles in the area of our schools, it’s easy to lose track of a child who may dart between vehicles either on foot or on bike.

Put away any distractions when moving through a school zone and that especially means cellphones. Again, with so much happening at once, looking at your cellphone is just another distraction that can become a safety issue.

The same should go for students walking or biking to school. Parents, remind your student to also put their cellphone away while in a school zone and to be careful with where they are going.

If all of this requires allocating a little bit of extra time, then it’s worth it in an effort to avoid a tragic start to the school year.