Classes resume Monday for Atlanta and other metro school districts
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About 739,000 metro Atlanta public school students are returning to the classroom this week for the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
Why it matters: You'll have to watch out for little ones waiting on their assigned school buses, parents who are navigating school drop-off and pickup lines and remember to slow down in school zones.
The latest: Today is the first day of classes for students in Atlanta Public Schools, City Schools of Decatur, and the Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Henry county school systems.
- Marietta City Schools students go back to class on Tuesday,
- Gwinnett County Public Schools, the state's largest district, resumes classes on Wednesday while Forsyth County School System starts the new year on Thursday.
What's new: Students and teachers can expect ramped-up safety efforts. Five schools across Georgia, including River Ridge High School in Woodstock, will take part in the Campus Guardian Angel pilot program.
- The company deploys drones equipped with pepper gel, sirens and "other distraction devices designed to prevent a shooter from harming anyone while providing a critical advantage to law enforcement and first responders in order to save lives," according to its press release.
- Atlanta Public Schools has added drone and tactical programs to its police force. Two drones will monitor outdoor district facilities, and the tactical team will "address threats inside school buildings," the AJC reports.
- The Cobb County School District will deploy 16 Vapor Wake K9s to patrol campuses and sniff out concealed weapons or explosives.
Zoom in: H.B 1009, which went into effect July 1, requires school systems to enact policies prohibiting cellphone use during instructional hours for kindergarten through eighth grade students. (Bans for students in grades nine through 12 must be in place by July 1, 2027.)
By the numbers: Atlanta Public Schools' enrollment sits at a little more than 49,000 students.
- Estimated enrollment for other districts include: Cherokee (40,000), Clayton (49,000), Cobb (103,000), Decatur (5,200) DeKalb (89,000), Fulton (85,000), Gwinnett (178,000), Forsyth (54,000) Henry (42,000) and Marietta (8,500).