It’s the first day of school for students in Arlington ISD and 80 other districts
ARLINGTON, Texas - More than 80 North Texas school districts including Arlington ISD will welcome students back to class Wednesday morning.
Arlington ISD will begin the year without a full-time superintendent after its lone finalist opted not to take the job.
MORE: Back-to-School News
For now, Dr. Steven Wurtz is serving as interim superintendent. He said the district is still working to meet new state requirements to have an armed guard on every campus.
"All of our secondary campuses currently have a school resource officer that's armed. We're currently working on our elementary, but I think we're pretty close and we hope to be able to be in compliance by Sept. 1," he said.
That item is on the school board's agenda for Thursday's meeting.
Some students in Arlington are starting the year in newly-built schools.
Berry Elementary was originally built in 1955. It was demolished in 2021 after bond voters agreed to replace the aging facility with a modern learning environment.
The new campus is 100,000 square feet with grade-specific pods, a media center, fine arts classrooms, and STEM laboratories.
Mansfield ISD welcomes Ukrainian family on first day
The Mansfield Independent School District is welcoming several students from the Zhakun family following their escape from the war in Ukraine.
Parents and staff said it's been a long time coming.
"Each room, each grade has a pod. You have a great big library. I'm excited to see what Moms with Muffins looks like this year," said Tasha Tyler, an Arlington ISD parent. "The old Berry that was here, we witnessed that their cousins went to this school before. It's good to see it develop."
"It's not so much about the new building but the opportunities in the new building. We're excited to get our learning started. Our kids have had a break. Now it's time to get it back started," said Rose Ravin, the principal at Berry Elementary.
The district is also launching a new high school program called P-Tech or Pathways in Technology. It will focus on engineering and design to prepare students for a career.
"Our goal is that when students graduate they can have meaningful employment. P-Tech allows them to have internships so they can walk right onto a job, not only with a degree but with a workforce certification," Dr. Wurtz said.
Other districts starting Wednesday include Aledo, Birdville, Keller, Mansfield, Red Oak, and Weatherford ISDs.
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School Districts Starting on Aug. 16
Aledo ISD
Arlington ISD
Aubrey ISD
Avery ISD
Axtell ISD
Azle ISD
Birdville ISD
Blooming Grove ISD
Bluff Dale ISD
Boyd ISD
Brock ISD
Buffalo ISD
Burleson ISD
Callisburg ISD
Canton ISD
Cayuga ISD
Celeste ISD
Celina ISD
Clarksville ISD
Cleburne ISD
Collinsville ISD
Cranfills Gap ISD
De Leon ISD
Detroit ISD
Edgewood ISD
Era ISD
Fairfield ISD
Glen Rose ISD
Goldthwaite Cons ISD
Grand Saline ISD
Grandview ISD
Gustine ISD
Hamilton ISD
Hico ISD
Hillsboro ISD
Howe ISD
Iredell ISD
Itasca ISD
Jacksboro ISD
Kaufman ISD
Keller ISD
Kerens ISD
Kopperl ISD
Krum ISD
Leonard ISD
Lindale ISD
Lindsay ISD
Lipan ISD
Mabank ISD
Malakoff ISD
Mansfield ISD
Meridian ISD
North Hopkins ISD
North Lamar ISD
Northwest ISD
Ponder ISD
Poolville ISD
Pottsboro ISD
Prairiland ISD
Priddy ISD
Red Oak ISD
Rising Star ISD
S and S CISD
Saint Jo ISD
Sanger ISD
Scurry-Rosser ISD
Sivells Bend ISD
Slidell ISD
Springtown ISD
Stephenville ISD
Sunnyvale ISD
Teague ISD
Valley Mills ISD
Valley View ISD
Walnut Bend ISD
Walnut Springs ISD
Weatherford ISD
Westwood ISD
White Settlement ISD
Wolfe City ISD
Yantis ISD
Zephyr ISD