Monday was the first day back to school for tens of thousands of students across South Florida.
Both Broward County Public Schools and Miami-Dade Public Schools were back in session the morning of Monday, Aug. 24.
Nearly 270,000 students headed back to class in Broward County and 345,000 in Miami-Dade.
"We want them to have a lot of pride in what they're doing on our campus. We want them to be excited to show up to school," said McArthur High School Principal Todd LaPace.
Lots of changes and upgrades awaited South Florida students, including expanded, healthier lunch items, the expansion of STEM programs, and even some high tech upgrades to buses including GPS and Wi-Fi.
In Miami-Dade, 1,000 bus routes were successfully navigated on Monday. With a system this large, the nation's fourth largest school district, almost anything can go wrong, but very little did.
However, a Miramar High School bus never showed at its stop on Monday morning in Broward, leaving students stranded for nearly two hours, before parents transported their own kids.
Of the more than 1,000 buses on Broward roads, Superintendent Robert Runcie said an isolated incident may happen.
"I would let those parents know it's going to be corrected immediately. We have a highly attentive management in that area," Runcie said.
In addition, police throughout South Florida were out in full force, making sure kids heading back to school had a safe return.
"The more officers that we have, the more personnel we have in certain areas, it's going to help out a lot," said North Miami Police Commander Tim Belcher. "I expect these kids to come get an education and go home the same way."
For students heading back to class, remember: Head home right after school, be vigilant of your surroundings, don't jaywalk and walk with a buddy.
For parents picking up their kids: Don't cause traffic by parking in unapproved areas, no speeding in school zones and always watch out for kids crossing the street.
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"We all should know we should be leaders. Leaders in our community and in our schools," said Belcher.
We want to see photos of you and your family as you prepared to send your little ones off to school. Send us a picture and you may see it on our air and in a gallery on our website and app.
Email your photos to isee@nbc6.com and/or share your photos on social media using the hashtag #NBC6.
From all of us at NBC 6, we wish your children a wonderful and safe school year!
