School begins Thursday in Vermilion Parish

Among the many things summer brings with it is not having to slow down when lights are flashing in school zones.
That changes Thursday morning with the unofficial end to summer when all public schools in Vermilion Parish have students head back to class. Officers will be out during school zone hours, running from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. and again in the afternoon, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Abbeville Police Chief Tony Hardy said he will have officers out in force.
“We’re going to have a heavier patrol for the first couple of weeks of school,” Hardy said. “We want to have people aware that school is back in session and they need to adhere to all of the school zones.”
Hardy said it will not just be patrolmen on the street looking out for the students’ safety.
“The teachers and principals also do a really good job in helping us,” Hardy said. “That helps make it easier for us.”
Hardy said if anyone has any questions about school zones, or anything pertaining to back-to-school safety, they can call 893-2511.
Erath Police Chief Gerald Hebert said his department will be at each of the schools in the town, something they do throughout the year, to help ensure a safe start to the school year.
“Every year it’s good to remind people to be on the look out for students,” Hebert said. “We never really have too much problems. I think the drivers are aware and they all want to watch out for the kids. I don’t anticipate any problems and think it’s going to go really well.
“We just want to remind everyone to be safe and watch for school buses.”
Maurice Police Chief Warren Rost said he will have an officer at Cecil Picard Elementary to help where needed.
“We are going to get with the principal and see what they want to do as far as parent pick up,” Rost said. “We will patrol that area heavily for the first few days. We’ll have an officer there at 7 a.m. during drop off and in the afternoon.
“He will wave to make sure people see him and that everyone sees the kids.”
Excited to see kids entering the buildings will be principals and staffs around the parish. Kaplan High Principal Dr. Janet Guerrini said enthusiasm abounds at this time of the year.
“We had 94 percent of our students show up for orientation,” Guerrini said. “That’s just about as awesome as it can be. We are all working hard to get ready for the year and to bring these students in the right direction. Our students are the most precious commodity that we have right now.
“Yes, I am excited because I expect this to be a good year because we have a solid staff with some new faces.”