What's new with Montgomery Public Schools for the 2023-2024 year

Montgomery Public Schools students, parents and teachers are waving goodbye to summer break and ushering in a brand new school year.

MPS Superintendent Melvin Brown, who is going into his second year on the job, wrote in an open letter to the MPS community that he expects this to be a “transformational year” for the district.

“My goal has always been to ensure that students are engaging in 21st century learning initiatives, and this year we are making strides toward that goal,” Brown said. “We remain focused on equity, access and opportunity for all students as we work on improving educational outcomes.”

Most policies, traditions and school buildings remain the same as they were last year, but many of them have undergone some changes in recent months.

Here is what’s new across MPS for the 2023-2024 academic year:

Student IDs

This is the first year that every MPS student will carry a student ID card during the school day and while attending school events.

The board of education unanimously voted to implement an ID program back in May as a way of increasing security across campuses. The cards will also be each student’s way of checking out library books and paying for lunch in the cafeteria line.

No cell phone access during the school day

While students have not previously been allowed to use their phones during class, MPS is ramping up the rules this year. Now, students in grades 6-12 will not have access to their cell phones at all while in school.

MPS is providing Yondr pouches, magnetic neoprene bags that students will lock their phones into upon arriving to campus in the mornings. At the end of the day, before leaving school grounds, students will hold their pouches up to “unlocking bases” and be able to remove their phones.

If your student requires an exception to this policy, please contact your school principal.

New names, new mascots, new meaning

Jefferson Davis High School and Robert E. Lee High School are no more. The school board wiped the Confederate names from MPS’s roster of schools last year when members voted to rename the institutions.

Instead, the schools took on the names of civil rights heroes and a renowned scientist. They stand respectively as Johnson, Abernathy and Graetz (JAG) High School and Percy Julian High School.

The total rebranding also includes new mascots and school colors. MPS announced over the summer that JAG’s mascot is a jaguar, and its logo is purple and gold. Julian’s mascot is a phoenix, and its logo is orange and navy.

Fewer students enrolled

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, MPS enrolled over 27,000 students. By the start of the 2021 school year, that number dropped to 26,583, and two years later, there are now 25,500 enrolled in MPS.

It’s unclear how lowered student enrollment will impact the district this year, but it could mean less funding from the state.

Renovations and construction

Five years in the making, Booker T. Washington Magnet High School finally has its new campus on Bell Road, which includes a brand new black box theater and gymnasium built off of the old Holy Cross Episcopal School.

Also, a new Ninth Grade Academy is under construction at George Washington Carver High School.

Phasing out Sidney Lanier High School

As part of the MPS capital plan, Sidney Lanier High School will begin the process of shutting down this year. In an effort to make the change easier on the district and its students, MPS will phase the school out over multiple years.

This year, ninth graders who were on track to go to Lanier will instead attend George Washington Carver High School. Grades 10-12 will remain at Lanier.

It’s also important to note that Lanier High School is the last MPS institution named for someone associated with the Confederacy. Once it is phased out, MPS will not have any Confederate-named schools.

Attendance policy

Students should not miss more than 10 days of school.

Starting this year, students who are absent 15 consecutive days will be withdrawn after district personnel conduct a home visit and a certified letter is mailed to the parent with no response

If a student 16 years of age or older misses 10 consecutive days of school or has a total of 15 unexcused absences in a single semester, they will be considered withdrawn from school under state law. That could impact a student’s ability to obtain a driver’s license in Alabama.

More of the arts

Since Montgomery residents voted for a property tax increase to better fund MPS in 2020, Superintendent Brown said there is more money in the budget for art and music offerings this year.

“Throughout the district, we will have more art and music offerings because we recognize the importance of self-expression and the ways that the arts improve overall academic performance,” he wrote in his open letter. “We see no reason why we cannot be a model school system for the state and the region. The work we do every day will move us closer to this goal.”

Hadley Hitson covers children's health, education and welfare for the Montgomery Advertiser. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to the Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery Public Schools starts new year with a few new rules