Public schools in Biloxi have their first day of class Wednesday, and school leaders and Biloxi Police are asking motorists to be careful near school zones, especially during mornings and afternoons.
Between 5,500 and 6,000 students are expected in Biloxi’s public schools on opening day. The Biloxi Public School District operates five elementary schools, an upper elementary school, a junior high school and a high school.
“We’ll have additional officers patrolling the school zones,” said Christopher DeBack, assistant chief of police in Biloxi. “It’s the first day of school, and students are going to be excited and unfamiliar with their routes. Some will be walking to school. It’s going to change the day-to-day routine that drivers have become accustomed to over the summer months. We’re asking everyone to keep all of these things in mind as they approach school zones in the mornings and afternoons.”
Typically, the speed limit in a school zone is 15 mph, unless otherwise posted, and some major thoroughfares, such as Pass Road and Popp’s Ferry, are near schools.
Motorists should remember that when a school bus stops on an undivided roadway, traffic must stop in all directions.
“Some people think that if they’re traveling in an opposite direction, they do not stop,” DeBack said. “All people must stop when a school bus stops to pick up or release children on an undivided roadway.”
See Biloxi Public Schools online
