Thousands of kids are waking up early Monday morning. It’s the first day of school for many districts including Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and Plano.
Students returning to Adamson High School in north Oak Cliff will be walking into a new high-tech, state-of-the-art building.
This new school year, the new Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles, already has a big concern. As many as 30,000 students will be absent on the first day, because they’re not properly registered or haven’t received the shots they need.
The health department immunized around 400 kids on Friday. Parents waited until the last minute to get the required vaccinations, but workers couldn’t get to everyone before the end of the day. So, instead of sitting in class on Monday, those kids will be sitting in a line for their shots.
Other students skip the first day because they want a longer vacation, others have trouble registering. Many kids in the district are transient with families who move frequently. Some students can’t find affordable supplies.
At Adamson High School, the school has experienced an increase in the student population with 1,460 students registered, while capacity is set at 1,500.
In his first year on the job, new Superintendent Mike Miles has high hopes for improving test scores, graduation rates, and keeping the first-day enthusiasm going.
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“It’s going to be exciting for the kids, exciting for the teachers," said Miles. "We just have to keep the excitement 180 student-contact days.
Miles said everyone has to do their part. “The key thing is we have to have effective instruction, so we need to have an effective teacher in every classroom, and effective principal in every school," said Miles. "That’s the biggest goal where work is being done."
As an incentive for kids to attend the first day of school, the district will choose 15 students to win a total of $2,500.
