Thousands of Miami-Dade students, teachers ready for first day of school

MIAMI - School is about to be back in session and with a new school year comes high hopes for students and teachers alike.

"Starting the school year, it's brand new. Everyone is excited, nervous. A little bit of emotions all over the place," said Laura Moran.

For teachers like Moran, educating students is the passion of her life.

Last year, one of her highlights was teaching a visually impaired student at South Miami K-8 Center .

"It was challenging at first, because I didn't know Braille, said Moran.

But Moran learned and helped her student perform the national anthem in front of his classmates.

As educators and students look forward to a new school year and new memories — a reminder for drivers passing through school zones.

"Drivers should expect that every Miami-Dade county public school bus — yellow school bus, is equipped with the stop arm cameras," said Steve Randazzo with BusPatrol.

These bus cameras can catch anyone trying to pass a school bus and thousands of citations have been issued since last year.

"30,000 notifications of violations to motorists that have broken the law since we went live on May 8th," said Randazzo.

In South Miami, street cameras will also operate to monitor anyone speeding.

The cameras are in use 30 minutes before the start of the school, throughout the school day and 30 minutes after the end of school.

And for students who ride their bikes to school, county officials say helmets are not an option. They must be worn no matter how short or long the ride is.

The Miami-Dade Public School District is also offering new healthy food options this year. Both breakfast and lunch are available free of charge to all students.