Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - "It's going to be an exciting day [Friday]."
Dr. Tonja Williams, Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools appeared on WBEN on Thursday, the day before students head back to the classroom.
Williams said she and her team are planning to get to as many schools as they can to greet the teachers, principals, students and any parents that might be there.
The biggest change with the new school year is a three tier bell schedule that will rollout for the first time on Friday. It's being implemented as a way to ease the burden from the bus driver shortage. Something that Williams thinks is not temporary, but something that is here to stay.
She warns, however, that a change like this could bring some hiccups.
"Even in a year when nothing has changed, there's always a wrinkle here or there when it comes to busing and transportation. We're busing more than 29,000 children throughout the City of Buffalo, so certainly there will be some wrinkles," said Williams.
She asks parents to be patient.
"We're going to do our very best. We've been working closely with the transportation department to do everything that we can to make sure that the children are picked up and dropped off at the times indicated."
As students return, more schools will have weapons detectors in place. A few remaining elementary schools are currently having systems installed. Williams expects all 60 schools in the district to be 100% compliant by mid-October.
"It's really about safety. In the schools that we have already rolled it out in, it went really well. We don't want anybody to feel nervous or anxious. It's just like when you go to a Buffalo Bills game or the airport. It's quick. You just walk through."
This school year will include a special emphasis on bullying prevention.
"We've done quite a bit of training on this over the summer," noted Williams. "We don't want teachers or teacher aides telling children not to tattle. Yes, tattle. If you see something, say something. It's part of our code of conduct and we're going to be working with parents on this too. We need to help all children feel safe."