by Emily Smith
Though it feels as if summer vacation has only just begun, already it’s time to start shifting gears into the 2019-2020 school year.
The first day of school for Horry County is August 19, and as there are nine schools in the Carolina Forest district alone, morning and afternoon traffic routes are going to become busier.
Last year, Horry County Schools reported over 44,000 students in the county, more than 9,000 of whom are part of the Carolina Forest district.
Registration for new students is ongoing. Visit www.horrycountyschools.net to register your child, as well as stay up-to-date on a variety of information for parents via the Parent Portal. The website contains a hidden resource— interactive maps.
The district map, for instance, allows users to plug in their home address to see which school districts they fall into. There is also a bus stop map, on which guests can select specific schools to see the locations of bus stops in the morning and afternoon. These maps can be accessed from the main HCS webpage, in the “About Us” section, as well as under “Parent Resources.”
On that same resources page, school supply lists are available to download for each elementary and middle school. High school supply lists will be sent to the students directly from the teachers. The Carolina Forest Recreation Center and Library will also have physical copies of the lists available.
Currently, there is construction along Carolina Forest Boulevard and surrounding areas. That, coupled with the vibrant population of our area means that you’ll need to account for delays and plan your schedule accordingly.
Remember that on a two-lane road, traffic must halt completely both ways for a stopped school bus. For traffic on a four-lane highway, only cars behind the bus are required to stop, while traffic in the opposite lane is allowed to continue to move. In both cases, stopped vehicles can only drive again once the bus has started advancing and its red flashing lights are off.