Florida's Largest School District Heads Back To School

MIAMI, FL — Some 345,000 children in Miami-Dade County hugged their parents goodbye on Monday and bid farewell to another summer vacation as they boarded familiar yellow buses, rode bicycles or hoofed it to class when school bells once again rang out in Florida's largest school district.

Dawn brought first-day jitters and found Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho passing out Dunkin' goodies to hundreds of district bus drivers as they made their final equipment checks before picking up their charges.

The children will find a number of new learning opportunities across the district, according to Carvalho, who has led the fourth largest school district in the United States since 2008. The district covers 2,000-square-miles and is an educational melting pot where children speak a combined total of 56 different languages and represent 160 countries.

"This year, obviously 130 brand new educational programs — anything from robotics to computer science," Carvalho told reporters at the district's main transportation hub. "We’re talking about artificial intelligence, new visual and musical programs across the entire district."

Children will also find other changes as well. "New school buildings — new performing art centers from the deep north to the deep south — there’s something for everyone in Miami-Dade County Public Schools," Carvalho said.

School officials said there will be a police officer assigned to every school in Miami-Dade County this year.

Law enforcement officers will also be able to monitor activity around every school campus 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week from the Police Command Center. Officers will have the capability to communicate with law enforcement agencies from the various jurisdictions that make up the district.

"It serves to coordinate incidents at school campuses, such as break-ins or other unusual activity when schools are not in use," district officials said of the monitoring system.

The Center is equipped with a Shot Spotter system that detects gunshots throughout the county and pinpoints their location.

"Because of available technology, they are able to identify and eliminate unwarranted threats from sources such as social media," district officials explained.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue released the following video with back to school safety tips for children and adults alike:

The Miami Beach Police Department also released the following safety tips for motorists to keep in mind as the new school year gets underway:

1. Watch your speed in school zones! Be aware that school zone speed limits may vary in hours and speeds. Be sure to follow the posted limits.
2. Slow down in residential areas. Watch for children crossing the street and congregating near bus stops.
3. Do not pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. Traffic in both directions on undivided highways must stop when students are entering or exiting a school bus (the red flashing lights and extended stop sign arms are your cue to stop). On a divided roadway, all traffic behind the school bus must stop.
4. Be alert! The area 10 feet around a school bus is where children are in the most danger of being hit. Children walking to and from their bus are usually very comfortable with their surroundings and more likely to take risks, ignore hazards, or fail to look both ways when crossing the street.
5. Always stop when directed to do so by a school patrol sign, school patrol officer, or designated crossing guard.

For more tips on school safety, check out the National Safety Council's Back to School Safety Checklist.