PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Students across the Hampton Roads region are heading back to school Tuesday for the 2018-19 year.
10 On Your Side has everything you need to know as the new school gets underway. A full back-to-school guide can be found on hrScene.com.
The back-to-school forecast will not feature widespread rain, but it will be hot and humid. Meteorologist Jeremy Wheeler says the heat index could reach 100 degrees in some areas.
Some isolated showers and storms will be possible.
10 On Your Side’s Back-to-School Reports
As public school students return to class this morning, it also means more traffic on the roads — and that includes school buses. Drivers should be on the look out for buses and school zones.
If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended on a bus — traffic must stop on both sides of the road.
SOUTHSIDE
Many kids here on the Southside are headed back to school Tuesday, but for others in southeastern Virginia, they’re getting one more day of summer vacation.
Westside Elementary School in Isle of Wight County will be closed Tuesday for an emergency air conditioning repair. The school said it discovered the AC wasn’t working during a routine check on Monday.
Several local school districts are still working to fill open teacher positions heading into the new year, and some are also hiring bus drivers.
Portsmouth has 18 bus driver vacancies. Chesapeake schools officials say they also still have a few openings, and Suffolk says it is always looking for drivers.
The city with the most openings is Virginia Beach, which is looking for 70 school bus drivers.
PENINSULA
In Hampton, school officials are projecting its highest school accreditation rate in six years. The district saw a 27 percent increase in accreditation heading into 2018.
The Virginia Department of Education says 27 out of 29 schools are accredited for Hampton City Schools. Accreditation ratings are based on student achievement in Standards of Learning (SOL) tests or on overall achievement over the last three years.
Superintendent Dr. Jeffery Smith says he is confident in the direction the schools are going.
Hampton also saw one of its schools get renamed ahead of the new year.
The Hampton School Board voted unanimously in January to rename the Jefferson Davis Middle to Cesar Tarrant Middle School. Tarrant was a former slave and Revolutionary War hero from Hampton.
10 On Your Side will have complete coverage throughout the day. This story will be updated.
