Submitted by
Gerry Clare
Get ready for the opening day for Nassau County schools on August 8th. Approximately 11,241 students are expected to attend, many of them on the 72 buses or 130 bus routes throughout the county. Fifty-nine new teachers are expected to be in classes as well.
The areas around the schools will obviously be very busy with parents and buses dropping off and picking up students. That is why the Fernandina Beach Police Auxiliary Corps will have volunteers at Southside Elementary School and several members at Jasmine, Lime, and Citrona in Fernandina Beach. When the high school and middle school let out at the same time, the traffic becomes gridlocked with numerous delays.
Be sure to obey the school crossing guards and stop behind school buses with their “stop” sign and red lights flashing, unless you are on a divided highway with an unpaved space of at least five feet, a raised median or a physical barrier and going in the opposite direction of the bus, such as on A1A State Route 200.
School crossing guards will be all around the county and are trained by the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department and will also be at county schools with deputy\ies and volunteers assisting (Sheriff’s volunteers) as needed, especially in the primary and middle schools and heavy traffic areas. This lasts for the first few weeks as everyone gets used to traffic patterns. Traffic is normally heaviest in the mornings.
If you are uncertain about bus routes or times for your children, check with the individual schools they attend.
Also, notable is the fact that the Nassau County School District is proud to announce their designation as a Florida Healthy School District-Gold Level Award for 2012-2014. Only two other districts in Florida were awarded this honor by the state. “This award recognizes a comprehensive district wellness policy based on coordinated school health” for students as well school employees and involves the “county health department, school district, and community, working together to produce sustainable change in health and wellness.”
Safety and healthy practices will hopefully prevail while the schools get back in the groove of a new school year.
August 4, 2012 7:42 a.m.