Miami

Ring the Bell: Miami-Dade Starts New School Year on Monday

What to Know

  • Parents and children all over the county have been stocking up on supplies and getting mentally prepared for going back to the grind.

While Monroe and Broward started their school year last week, Miami-Dade will finish things off for South Florida when it kicks off the new year on Monday.

350,000 students are set to go back to public schools as some of them will be returning to renovated schools while others will have new principals - and all to increased security measures.

Miami-Dade Back-to-School Tool Kit 2019-2020

Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was at Cutler Bay Middle School on Sunday, where a new chain link fence is being put up as part of safety measures that continue to be improved upon and renovations less than 24 hours before the first day of school.

“Over the past 72 hours we have scoured the entire district ensuring that all the innovations, all of the new projects, renovations, all the deployments of educational programs,” Carvalho said. ”I can declare that we are ready.”

School Board member Larry Feldman is stoked about the renovations made at this school in his district, which he believes will change the culture of the school.

“You had a school where kids did not want to come, where they were driving by throwing trash,” Feldman said. “Now when they see this happening over the last two and a half years, there’s a new sense of renewed excitement.”

Parents and children all over the county have been stocking up on supplies and getting mentally prepared for going back to the grind.

“We are not looking forward to traffic and getting up earlier, but hey that’s life,” said parent Rafael Iglesias. “We are looking forward to starting fifth grade and doing a good job.”

If you live in Miami Dade, whether you have school-age children or not, tomorrow will surely affect you - because on the first day of school, everyone will have to deal with traffic.

“I’m not prepared for is the traffic- like, the Miami traffic is going to be killer,” said parent Franco Interian. “But besides that, we’re very excited about the kids starting the new year and you know, we’re just wishing they’re safe and happy.”

Safety and security measures have been enhanced at public schools as well. Aside from a police officer assigned to every school, there are 18,000 cameras across the district linked to the police command center.

"Schools are the safest places for children in america and certainly in our community, but the best way to avert an incident is by communicating information that may in fact prevent it," Carvalho said during a visit to iPrep Academy on Sunday - a school he also serves as principal of.

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