Does it seem like school starts earlier every year?

Believe it or not, students in the Lawrence public school district will be heading back to classes today and Thursday. It’s an exciting time for students and a hectic time for many families.

It’s also a time when motorists should show extra caution and patience, especially around elementary and middle schools. Whether they’re being dropped off by a parent, walking or riding a bicycle, youngsters often don’t pay as much attention to their surroundings as they should. It’s up to everyone else to drive defensively and look out for unpredictable movements.

Students at Haskell Indian Nations University also will be arriving on campus this week, and residence halls will open at Kansas University next week. As anyone who has lived in Lawrence very long knows, the return of university students, often accompanied by parents, is a busy time, which also poses some driving challenges. Many drivers aren’t acquainted with Lawrence’s one-way streets and other traffic patterns and often are distracted by trying to follow directions and locate unfamiliar buildings or addresses.

Local motorists need to display some courtesy and caution in the next couple of weeks. We want to have a safe beginning to what we hope will be a great school year for students from pre-kindergarten through university graduation.