ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Wednesday marks the first day of school in Pinellas County. 

The last Bay area county to open the school year, Pinellas schools will have a busy day as bus drivers, cafeteria staff, educators and support professionals all return to work.                

Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Grego started the first day of the 2019-20 school year alongside some of the first employees who welcome students back.

There will not only be new bus routes but also new tools on the buses that will allow drivers to keep a closer eye on students and their surrounding area, making bus rides as safe as possible.  

For the 2019-2020 school year, Pinellas County has upgraded its entire fleet of school buses. 

Now, all buses have 360-degree camera systems that allow drivers to see activity all the way around the bus. 

The district also can track every school bus in real time also, using a newly-installed GPS system. 

"The Sheriff’s Department, the first two weeks," said Deputy Howie Miller/Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. "We’ll be having deputies that are primarily at schools in the afternoon and the morning, patrolling, educating people, informing them that school is open and to watch and be attentive of the children in the area." 

Several new programs in store for start of the 2019-2020 school year:

Pinellas County Schools continues to provide new educational choices for families. Several new programs for 2019-2020 were created based on feedback from parents and students:

  • Elisa Nelson Elementary School - Elisa Nelson Elementary School in Palm Harbor will open this school year as the Center for Gifted Studies and Literacy Innovation. 

  • Sandy Lane Elementary School - The Conservatory for the Arts at Sandy Lane Elementary School in Clearwater will emphasize hands-on learning using arts integration. The program is staffed with experienced arts educators and will feature a variety of field trips to deepen learning in the arts and other subjects. All students at the Conservatory for the Arts participate in Dance, Music and Visual Arts each week. Students in grades 3-5 will have the opportunity to participate in strings instruction. 

  • Northeast High School and Osceola Fundamental High School will add Boys and Girls Lacrosse for the 2019-20 season. This brings us to six high schools in Pinellas that play Florida High School Athletics Association sanctioned Lacrosse. 

  • East Lake High School is offering a new collegiate program which will allow students to earn their Associate of Arts (AA) degree as they earn their high school diploma.

  • Spanish will be offered at several VPK (voluntary pre-K) locations through collaboration with the district’s World Languages Department. VPK students will receive Spanish twice a week at these schools.

  • The district’s Transportation Department will be implementing BusBulletin at all elementary schools. BusBulletin is a web-based transportation notification system designed to notify families, school administrators, transportation staff and district personnel of transportation issues including delayed buses, accidents, and emergencies. Notifications can be sent via text, email or voice call.

  • The district is expanding the Elevating Excellence program which prepares students for acceptance into top tier universities. In partnership with Pinellas Education Foundation, and others, PCS will add College & Career Planning Centers at all district high schools.

  • The school district will introduce IntraLogic Solutions, an emergency lockdown system that empowers any staff member on district property to initiate a lockdown during an emergency and immediately inform school and district administration and the police department.