By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Shumway Leadership Academy student Ayla Schaeffer pulls her kitty backpack toward her classroom on July 17, the first day of the Chandler Unified School District school year.

Bologna Elementary School kindergartner Joseph Brooks-Sedillo is reassured by his father before class on July 17, the first day of the Chandler Unified School District school year.

Kindergartner Kinzley Bush is ready for class with her backpack on at Shumway Leadership Academy teacher, Karina Bolaños, on July 17, the first day of the Chandler Unified School District school year.

Kindergartner Mateo Ernesto poses with his family at Shumway Leadership Academy on July 17, the first day of the Chandler Unified School District school year.

Kindergartner Rylee Cardinal poses with her Shumway Leadership Academy teacher, Karina Bolaños, on July 17, the first day of the Chandler Unified School District school year.

Third-grader Jayla Vera-Martinez poses for a photo in front of Shumway Leadership Academy on July 17, the first day of the Chandler Unified School District year.

Kindergartner Alina Reyes takes an on early coloring exercise in her Bologna Elementary School classroom on July 17, the first day of the Chandler Unified School District school year.

​The majority of the Chandler Unified School District’s 42,000-plus students went back to school Wednesday, July 14.

On the Shumway and Bologna elementary campuses, there were tears shed, smiles and new backpacks, clothes and supplies seen as kindergartners and other students began their educational treks.

The district and area law enforcement have reminded drivers in Chandler and Gilbert that with school in session, use extra caution in all residential and school zones and even on some arterial roads, watching for small children, school signs and signals and people helping children cross streets.

Chandler Unified’s campuses, among the earliest in the Valley to start the school year, have lengthy fall, winter and spring breaks.

CUSD serves 80 square miles, including parts of the towns of Gilbert and Queen Creek, though not all of the city of Chandler. The district has 32 elementary, nine middle school programs, six high schools and four alternative schools.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic.  Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.  Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org.

Jason W. Brooks
Associate Editor

Jason W. Brooks is a News editor for the Daily Independent and the Chandler Independent.

He covers the Chandler area for both yourvalley.net and the monthly print edition while writing for and assisting in the production of the Daily Independent.

Brooks is a well-traveled journalist who has documented life in small American communities in nearly all U.S. time zones.

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised there and in suburban Los Angeles, he has covered community news in California, New Mexico, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and northern Arizona.