42,800 Students Expected For 2018-19 School Year

CANTON, GA — The summer has (nearly) come and gone, and it will soon be time for the little ones to return to the classroom. The Cherokee County School District's 2018-19 school year will kick off Wednesday, Aug. 1, and more than 40,000 students are expected to show up to get an education.

CCSD has released its First Day Facts for the upcoming school year, and 42,894 is the projected enrollment for the year. To ensure these pupils get adequate attention in the classroom, the school district has hired 280 new teachers for the upcoming school year.

"These new faces will help lower class size, accommodate anticipated student growth, and cover attrition," the system said.

The document also provides helpful tips for parents and guardians who want to know about their child's bus stop and pick up/drop-off times. Of course, if you need to update your child's information and submit required forms, you can check out those documents by clicking here. Other highlights for the upcoming school year include:

• All six high school stadiums have been outfitted with new synthetic turf fields as approved by voters in the 2016 Ed SPLOST.
• Sequoyah High School's front office area has been renovated and reconfigured for better visibility and security.
• An additional lead nurse has been added to support school nurses and assist with medically fragile children, and an additional social worker has been added as well.
• RM Moore Elementary School STEM Academy parking lot has been reconfigured to accommodate additional traffic flow.
• Cherokee High School North campus, which is utilizing the former Canton Elementary School, has been updated and transformed to serve high school students.
• Slow pitch softball and gymnastics are being added as additional athletics opportunities at CCSD high schools.
• Construction of a 24-classroom addition at Mill Creek Middle School is underway.

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Safety is also a top priority for the school system. Just last week, the district announced it would install security foyers at 15 additional elementary and middle schools, as well as front-door access control systems at all high schools. It's also added a SafeSchools Alert program for reporting threats, bullying and other tips via phone call, text, or email.

Three new school police officers will be added to the CCSD Police Department, which stayed abreast of its skills by conducting summer training exercises with local law enforcement agencies. The CCSD School Police Department was approved for recertification by the Georgia Law Enforcement Certification Program.

Another note for parents/guardians and students alike: menus for breakfast and lunch are online and on a new MealViewer app, along with nutrition information and photos. You can start an online payment account, or add money to an existing account by visiting this website. Meal prices for 2018-19 are as follows:

You can view the entire First Day Facts for 2018-19 by visiting CCSD's website.

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