The 2021-22 school year begins next Tuesday, Aug. 10, with students returning to the classroom at McDowell Mountain Elementary School, Fountain Hills Middle School and Fountain Hills High School. Fountain Hills Charter School closed its doors at the end of the spring semester and will not reopen this fall.

FHUSD Superintendent Kelly Glass offers some “back to school” remarks in a column on page 6A of this week’s paper, as well as a reminder about upcoming Meet Your Teacher activities at each school site. On page XXXXX, McDowell Mountain Elementary School’s new principal, Dr. Shelly Jensen, introduces herself to the community. There’s also a school supply list on the following page, for anyone who still needs to pick up a few necessities for the coming months.

Anyone still needing information about registration or details on the various school sites, practices and procedures should visit fountainhillsschools.org.

The district’s safety procedures concerning COVID-19 should be posted online by Aug. 5, though Superintendent Glass notified parents through email recently that, in accordance with statewide practices, masks will be optional for returning students. Otherwise, as far as local youngsters are concerned, school should be a return to normal for the 2021-22 academic year.

As a final reminder, the start of the school year means that there will be an increase in morning and afternoon traffic. The Times encourages everyone to be safe on local streets, especially around schools and in the morning/afternoon hours when kids will be on their way to and from school.