ROCKVILLE, Md. — School bells will ring again this Monday in Montgomery County.
As the county’s 156,000 students head back to class, drivers should be careful when commuting through school zones.
“The last thing we need are drivers that are making mistakes because they are rushing,” said Tom Manger, Montgomery County Police Chief.
Students should pay attention when they cross roads and walk to the bus or school. Drivers should expect anxious kids, who may become distracted when socializing with friends.
This year, commuters could be caught off guard by adjustments to the start and end times for county schools.
School days will end 20 minutes later than they did last year. Middle schools and high schools will start the day 20 minutes later; elementary schools open 10 minutes later than last school year.
“It’s important for all of our drivers to understand these changes, and that students are going to be out at a time that’s a little bit later, a little bit different than it was last year,” said Larry Bowers, interim superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.
With the schedule changes, Manger said drivers should leave earlier and expect changes in traffic patterns, flows and delays.
Montgomery County police officers will be out in force on Monday, Manger said. Officers will be looking for distracted drivers and those who fail to stop for buses and pedestrians.
Also, many school buses are equipped with cameras, which will result in tickets for drivers caught illegally passing stopped buses with their lights on.
Crossing guards will be out helping kids cross the street safely.
“Every year, I talk to these crossing guards and I hear horror stories about impatient drivers, about drivers not paying attention to what they are doing,” Manger said.
Getting kids to school safely involves everyone, said school board President Patricia O’Neill.
“It takes our entire community all drivers, all community member to pay attention to our children’s walking to school,” she said.
