CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The last group of Hampton Roads students are back in the classroom.
The new school year marks new beginnings for Chesapeake students and staff. For school administrators, it means expanding safety measures and improving school curriculum.
Some Greenbrier Middle School students didn’t expect the first day back to come so soon.
“I was like ‘No, it’s not real. It’s not going to happen,’” said Greenbrier Middle School Student Kennedy Lloyd. “Then me coming to school, I was like ‘Wait this is real. It’s happening!’”
Despite their nerves, they said they are ready to tackle new challenges.
“I get to discover new things," said another Greenbrier Middle student Aidan Parker. "So, really excited about that but at the same time really scary.”
“It kind of feels like the first day of kindergarten again!” said parent Destini Davis.
School staff greeted them at the door with excitement Tuesday.
“We have over 800 plus Panthers returning,” said Greenbrier Middle School Principal Keith Hyater. “This year is special. Greenbrier Middle School is celebrating 25 years of educational excellence.”
School division leaders also hope the year is safer after expanding safety efforts. Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton said they’ve added more sheriff deputies to serve elementary schools within the division.
“This year, we’ve added six more," Dr. Cotton said . "So, we’ll have 14 total… One per two schools.”
Soon, more students will carry new ID badges that track students riding the bus. It also allows them to check in daily. Dr. Cotton adds school officials have made some tweaks to the cell phone policy for high school students.
“We used to allow them to use it at lunch and now it’s not permitted unless they’re given special permission.”
Dr. Cotton hopes the update prevents any distractions throughout the day.
Chesapeake Public Schools welcomed more than 280 new teachers to the division. Dr. Cotton said several of those educators are students returning from the 'Teachers for Tomorrow' program.