Wake students heading back to school

Traditional calendar students head back to school next week in Wake County, where one of the biggest changes will be in transportation.

Posted 8:02 p.m. Aug 23, 2013 — Updated 10:46 p.m. Aug 23, 2013

RALEIGH, N.C. — Traditional calendar students head back to school next week in Wake County, where one of the biggest changes will be in transportation.

The changes are the result of numerous complaints from parents last year about late and no-show buses.

On Monday, the Wake County Public School System will put 50 additional buses and 200 new drivers on the road, compared with this time last year. Each bus now has a GPS device to keep real-time track of routes.

Administrators are encouraging parents do their homework and find out where their child's bus stop is located because it may be different than last year. Parents can easily check for the stops online.

A new school will also open its doors Monday. Rolesville High School will welcome ninth- and 10th-graders. Eventually, it will accommodate more than 2,000 students.

In the classroom, Wake County managed to side-step state funding cuts for teacher’s assistants.

Local funding will allow the district to maintain its current number of positions. Still, there are nearly 175 openings for teacher’s assistants across the county.

School security has been a major point of discussion in recent months. State law now requires schools share crisis plans with the state and provide local law enforcement with keys to all buildings.

Currently, the school board and system administrators are reviewing more than a dozen recommendations made by a security task force. Those include items such as more counselors and school social workers.

Suggest A Correction