Cleveland County students head back to school
Cleveland County School students are donning backpacks, getting on buses and in car rider lines, and heading back to the classroom today.
A total of 14,346 students, from pre-k to high school are enrolled in the county’s 30 schools with Cleveland Early College High School students already kicking off the school year last week with an Aug. 7 start date. All other Cleveland County Schools started today.
Schools wrapped up orientations Monday with students meeting teachers, finding classrooms and touring new grades and buildings.
Schools celebrated the return to learning in a variety of creative ways.
Fallston Elementary School had sidewalk chalk available outside the building Tuesday and people wrote encouraging messages for students and staff to read as they arrived at school Wednesday morning.
Jefferson Elementary held a prayer walk last Sunday and is kicking off the year with some career inspiration. Suit up and Show up will begin later this week, and people will come to the school dressed as their career and talk to the students.
This year, high school students are welcomed back with some new safety measures.
Teens will be going through metal detection devices at each of the four high schools.
An updated cell phone policy is also being implemented, and students will no longer be allowed access to mobile devices during instructional time. Students can take a digital citizenship course that covers topics such as cyber bullying, social media use and other online behavior and can earn lunch phone privileges but the phones won’t be allowed at any other time.
Reporter Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Cleveland County students head back to school
