Denton ISD begins new school year

Some southern Denton County kids began the 2024-25 school year on Wednesday, while the rest still have a handful of days left of summer break.

Wednesday was Denton ISD’s first day of school, while Lewisville ISD’s academic year begins on Aug. 13. Argyle and Northwest ISD students’ first day of school will be on Aug. 14, and Liberty Christian School students return to the classroom a day later.

The new school year means it’s a good time for drivers to brush up on the rules of the road around school buses and in school zones.

If you’re headed in the opposite direction of a school bus that comes to a stop, with its lights flashing and stop signs deployed, you must stop if you’re on a two-lane road. If it’s a larger road, but the median is paved, you must stop until the school bus turns its lights off and proceeds.

If you’re headed in the opposite direction on a road with an unpaved median, you may proceed with caution. If you’re driving behind the school bus, you must stop under all conditions.

The Texas Department of Transportation “urges drivers to be on the lookout for young pedestrians and cyclists as the school year begins and to slow down, stay alert, and follow all traffic laws to keep children safe and avoid costly fines and tickets. TxDOT also encourages parents to start sharing pedestrian and school zone safety tips while their kids are at a young age.”

TxDOT provided the following tips for driving in school zones:

• Be aware. Traffic patterns around schools may have changed since last school year
• Stay alert and put your phone away. Using a handheld electronic device while driving in an active school zone is against the law
• Stop and yield the right of way to a pedestrian, bicyclist or other vulnerable road user in a crosswalk. The Lisa Torry Smith Act of 2021 enhanced the penalties for failing to follow the law and protect people in crosswalks. Seriously injuring someone who is lawfully in a crosswalk is now a state jail felony
• Obey school zone speed limit signs. Remember, traffic fines increase in school zones
• Know where to go. Drop off and pick up your kids in your school’s designated areas, not the middle of the street
• Be on the lookout. Keep an eye on children gathered at bus stops
• Watch for children who might dart across the street or between vehicles