Pump the brakes: What valley drivers need to know this back to school season

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – With August finally here, back to school is officially right around the corner.

Some of the largest school districts in the region are set to open their doors to students within weeks.

Central Unified will begin classes on Aug. 13, while Visalia Unified will start on Aug. 14. Fresno and Clovis Unified are set to begin courses on Aug. 18.

It means drivers all around the region could see a longer commute, with school zones meaning slower speeds, and officers at the ready.

“When you’re coming into a school zone, they’re clearly marked 25 miles per hour when children are present, meaning children are outside the school grounds and walking to, or out on the sidewalks coming from or going to schools,” said Fresno Police Traffic Sgt. Todd Turney.

Sgt. Turney is one of many police officials around the valley who will be a lot busier in the months ahead.

“We always have an operation, ‘No Recess for Safety’, in which we go out to the schools at the drop-off pickup times trying to enforce traffic safety and educate people on the safety plans,” said Turney.

Officers are on the lookout for people speeding through school zones, blowing by stopped school buses, parking in traffic at drop-off or pickup, and, of course, distracted drivers.

“It’s just very important to be off your phone, be mindful of your surroundings, especially when children are walking, crossing the street, or riding their bikes. They can come out of nowhere,” Liz Jones, public information officer for Visalia Police, said.

Law enforcement officials say at the end of the day, it’s on all of us to ensure every student can make it safely to school and return home afterwards.

“We’re going to enforce and take it heavily. We don’t want anyone getting hurt,” said Clovis Police Cpl. Amandeep Singh. “We don’t want the last thing a parent to worry about is, ‘I dropped off my child and now they’re involved in a traffic collision.’ That’s the last thing we would want as a police agency,” he said.

The penalties for some of these violations vary, but if you’re caught speeding in a school zone, for instance, you can be looking at a ticket for hundreds of dollars.

It’s just another reason to drive with caution around schools.