Paula Merritt / The Meridian StarA banner hangs from the ceiling to welcome students back to Crestwood Elementary.

With children returning to schools, law enforcement representatives ask residents to exercise caution.

“All of our schools will have buses out Friday morning,” Lauderdale County Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun said. “So drivers should know not the pass stopped school buses.”

Calhoun advised drivers to be cautious even if buses are out of sight.

“You never know if there are children standing near the edge of the roadway waiting for a bus,” Calhoun said. 

The Meridian Police Department asks drivers to add a few extra minutes to their morning commute on Monday as students with the Meridian Public School District start their first day of school.

“Make sure you are aware of speed zones and school zones,” Meridian Police Sgt. Dareall Thompson said. “Especially on 8th Street. The speed drops to 15 (mph) when school is in session.”

Thompson also recommended that motorists avoid Poplar Springs Drive if possible.

“If you’re not dropping off your children at the Poplar Springs Elementary School, take 29th Avenue or 23rd Avenue,” Thompson said. “Every year traffic gets backed up on that street – it’s chaos.”

Generally, Thompson asked drivers to be patient with school buses and children at crosswalks. 

Thompson also said drivers needed to obey the stop sign on school buses and not speed past.

“That stop sign is just like the one on the street,” he said. “And you never know if a child is going to be walking across.”

Thompson said some children may be walking to school, and drivers should keep an eye out. 

“You might need to be a little bit early when you leave home on Monday,” Thompson said. “And officers will be monitoring school zones.”

The Lauderdale County School District will begin on Friday and the Meridian Public School District will begin on Monday.