Monday marked the start of the 2024-2025 school year for the West Chester Area School District, writes Eva Anderson, Ed Specht, and Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia. The school district welcomes 12,000 students this year. 

The young students at Fern Hill Elementary School were eager to meet their new teachers and classmates, but it was an emotional day for parents.  

“She’s very, very nervous,” Stephanie Peery said of her first-grade daughter. “I’m sad she’s getting older, but it’s the circle of life. It’s what happens.” 

Although the West Chester Area School District won’t see any major changes at their elementary schools this year, both the middle and high schools will be strictly enforcing their policy that students don’t use their cell phones during instructional periods. 

“We weren’t as consistent last year in terms of our expectations,” said Dr. David Christopher, the district’s Superintendent. “I think it really depended more on who your staff member was. And I think this year, we said no, this has to be kind of a district-wide thing.” 

To make the first day of school and the rest of the year successful, the schools have been hiring new bus drivers and adding more bus routes. 

Read more about the West Chester Area School District’s first day of school at CBS News Philadelphia. 

________