New school year starts for Bulloch County Schools

A new year has begun for Bulloch County Schools. Students returned to classes on Thursday, August 1 at the district's 15 schools and four learning support programs.

"It's great to have everyone back and ready to focus on learning," said Charles Wilson, superintendent of schools. He thanks families for attending Open House and connecting with principals and teachers. "We're ready to start the new year," he added.

First Day Attendance
On Thursday, 10,963 students were present, up from last year's first day attendance of 10,691 students. This is a 2.5% increase, which is normal for the district. School leaders expect more students to join in the next few weeks. Last May, the district ended the year with 11,024 students and expects to top that enrollment this year.

"We have processed 623 new student applications, which could include more than one student per application," said Dr. Casey McNeely, the director of Bulloch County Schools' Data & Assessment Department. "Even with many new applications this week, our team has been able to process most of them within two days of receiving the correct documents."

As of 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, there were 204 applications left to review: 72 for final district review, 81 on hold for missing or incorrect documents, and 51 newly submitted waiting for initial review. New student registration opened on May 1, both online and in school offices. However, the first day of school remains a popular choice for many families to register their children.

Families who register students after Open House each year may experience delays for when their child can start school. Dr. McNeely made sure there was extra staff at the district's Central Office to help with processing applications during this busy time. She also worked with schools to create registration teams to support families and make the process smoother.

"We've also updated our online registration tool to be more friendly with cell phones and other mobile devices," McNeely said. "That seems to have made the process easier for some parents."

Student Code of Conduct
Superintendent Charles Wilson welcomed families back at Mattie Lively Elementary School during Open House, and he visited other schools around the district on Thursday and Friday. As the school year begins, he encourages families to read and understand the school's expectations for good behavior.

The Student Code of Conduct explains behavior expectations and consequences for students. Schools will go over these rules with students in the first few days of school. The Code of Conduct and helpful flyers and an overview video are available for families here. 

"This is a reset," Wilson said. "With the help of parents, we can work together to maintain safe learning environments where all children can succeed."

Violations of the Code of Conduct can lead to disciplinary action, including expulsion with or without the option of attending the district's alternative learning program, the Transition Learning Center. Details of these consequences are outlined in two parent flyers on the website. A video is also available. Please contact your school administrators with any questions.

Transportation
A new Transportation Help Desk is now available for families. It can be found on the district's and schools' websites. It gives parents an easy way to report transportation issues, ask questions, or report delays.

Delays can happen, especially with the nationwide shortage of school bus drivers. During the first week of school, with heavy traffic, new drivers, new routes, and new students, delays may occur more frequently. These delays are expected to improve as routines settle into place.

The district has a fleet of 163 buses. The school district’s drivers, mechanics, monitors and other support personnel ensure that twice each day more than 5,200 students are delivered safely to and from school. Drivers travel more than 6,200 miles daily across more than 113 different routes. Drivers also travel an additional 52,000 miles annually for more than 1,300 field trips and athletic events, bringing the total annual miles traveled to more than 1.5 million miles.

The district's transportation staff remind families that safety and proper behavior are just as important on the school bus as in the classroom. Bus drivers receive some of the same classroom management training as teachers. School buses are considered an extension of the classroom, and the same rules apply.

During this first month of school, all students, even those who are not daily bus riders, will learn about bus safety. Bus drivers will teach them about danger zones when getting on and off the bus. Please help keep children safe by talking to your child about proper behavior on the school bus and what they've learned about bus safety. Also, remind drivers in your household to use caution when they see a stopped school bus. Traffic in both directions must stop when you see a bus with flashing lights and a stop sign, except on a divided highway with a grass median or barricades.

Traffic
Traffic will be heavier in the first weeks of school, especially at Brooklet Elementary, Julia P. Bryant Elementary, and Southeast Bulloch's middle and high schools. The school district recommends allowing extra time in the mornings to arrive at schools and bus stops. As Bulloch County grows, traffic delays will be more common. Be patient and alert.

School Nutrition
Bulloch County's School Nutrition Services prepared and served 7,590 meals on Thursday. Last school year, they served a total of 1,812,616 meals, including 51,021 meals during the summer feeding program.

All children can eat breakfast for free. The district has expanded the USDA's Community Eligibility Program to 12 schools, allowing all children in those schools to receive free lunch. While Brooklet Elementary and Southeast Bulloch’s middle and high schools did not qualify for the program this year, eligible families at those schools can still apply for free or reduced-price meal benefits.

Information Technology
With a technology-rich school district featuring one-to-one devices for students, online resources, laptops, and other technology for teachers, the district has a team of engineers and liaisons to support students and staff. The district welcomed a new director of technology, Dave Waters, who reported a smooth first day with no major issues.

"We had less than 20 incidents logged," Waters said. An automated system allows the district's more than 2,600 employees to report technology issues and needs. "We also had several calls about small issues at schools that were resolved almost immediately," Waters added.

School Calendar
We are now two days into what will be a 177-day school year for students. Calendars for the 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 school years are both available on the school district’s website. The first day of school for both calendars is August 1, and both include week-long breaks in October, November, and April, plus a two-week break between the first and second semester.

For winter break in February, there is a difference. This adjustment is not a permanent change for future years, but simply how the natural one to two day shifts in a calendar's days affected the 2025-2026 school calendar. The temporary change was necessary to ensure balanced semesters and sufficient student instruction and teacher in-service days. This year winter break will be Feb. 17-21, 2025. In 2026, the break will be five days, Feb. 13-17, but it includes two weekend days.