Schools

New School Year Starts for Cheshire Students

Summer ended for about 4,000 Cheshire students who returned to the classroom Thursday.

"I think they're ready to go back," said Melinda Robinson, who was at Dodd Middle School Thursday morning dropping off her two grandchildren. "They don't want to admit it, but I think they're happy to be going back and seeing their friends."

Students will see a few changes in the new year, including a pilot program that allows some to use smart phones in the classroom. All students will be paying more in the cafeteria as prices have risen between 10 and 20 cents in each school.

The reason for the increase, according to school officials, is the cost of more healthy options including fruits and vegetables, as well as increases in paper costs.

The start of school also prompted the Cheshire Police Department to warn residents to beware of traffic tie ups, especially in the area of Cheshire High School, where backups are notorious in the morning when students are arriving and in the afternoon at dismissal.

"With the start of school comes additional traffic on Rt 10, specifically in the area of the high school. We ask that you plan your travels with a little extra time in mind," the department said in a release.

"Police officers will be conducting speed enforcement in school zones. We ask that motorists obey the speed limits to help keep our children safe."

Police also will be looking for drivers too impatient to wait for student getting on and off school buses. Officers will be patrolling in marked and unmarked cars looking for drivers who fail to stop for school busses, according to department officials. The fine for passing a stopped school bus is $485.


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