More than 21,000 Hamilton Southeastern Schools students return to classrooms Wednesday, Aug. 5, for the HSE first day of school. Their return will bring buses, student pedestrians and active school zones back to Fishers-area roads.
Elementary schools will operate from 7:40 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.; high schools from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and intermediate and junior high schools from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Families should make one last check of Skyward Tuesday night. According to HSE’s back-to-school guide, bus routes became available Aug. 1 but may change at the last minute. Required back-to-school forms are also due Wednesday. The district cautions that buses may run late during the first several days as drivers learn new routes.
The new year also brings new pre-K through eighth-grade attendance boundaries. The changes accompany the reopening of Fishers Elementary School after an expansion that increased capacity from 450 to 700 students, according to the district’s redistricting information.
Beginning Wednesday, motorists should once again expect reduced speed limits in posted school zones. Drivers should watch for flashing signals, follow the speed and hours shown on each sign, leave extra time for morning and afternoon traffic, and remain alert for children near crossings, neighborhoods and bus stops.
Indiana law also requires drivers to obey school-bus warning signals:
Yellow flashing lights mean a bus is preparing to stop. Slow down and prepare to stop.
When red lights flash and the stop arm is extended, drivers must stop before reaching the bus. On an undivided road, traffic approaching from either direction must stop and remain stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the arm is withdrawn and the bus begins moving.
The exception is a roadway divided by a physical barrier or an unimproved median, such as a concrete wall, cable barrier or grassy median. Traffic behind the bus must stop; drivers traveling in the opposite direction may proceed with caution. A road without such a barrier is treated as undivided, regardless of how many lanes it has.
The first days of school can mean unfamiliar routes, late buses and children learning new routines. A few extra minutes and a slower trip can help everyone begin the school year safely.