Back to school: Cobb’s first day mostly smooth

First Grader Joshua Kollas, 6, talks about Mountain View Elementary in Cobb County. Cobb County School District begins classes today, July 31.

There were few problems getting students into Cobb County classrooms for the first day of school, district officials said Monday.

A bus was on its way from Walton High School to drop 17 students off when it hit a tree limb and its windshield cracked, said Donna Lowry, spokeswoman for the district. No students were injured.

The collision happened about 3:50 p.m. at Riverview and Columns drives in Marietta.

There was another incident that happened about 8:30 a.m. when a car ran a stop sign and hit an empty bus at Holland and Old Dallas roads, Lowry said. No one was injured.

All seemed well at McEachern High School in Powder Springs where students milled about between first and second periods in the center of the campus, which resembles a college campus. Some freshmen wore a confused look with schedules in hand.

Not Armani Hayes. She said she knew where she needed to be, although she wished she’d packed some more paper and pencils.

“You got to be responsible,” said the 14-year-old.

McEachern principal Regina Montgomery walked Cobb schools superintendent Chris Ragsdale around the tree-shaded campus for its first start of school in July.

Today marks the earliest day most any major metro Atlanta public school system goes back to school this year. Ten years ago in 2007, the first day of school was Aug. 13.

Montgomery took Ragsdale into an 11th grade chemistry class where students were attempting to make a square using odd geometric shapes.

They took a stroll around the indoor track and headed back to the school’s weight room.

Jeremiah, 4, (left) says goodbye to big brother Jacob Cabarelli, 6, (right) before starting kindergarten at Mountain View elementary school in Cobb County on Monday, July 31, 2017.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

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Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Some students are heading to new digs, like those at Mountain View Elementary and the just-opened Walton High School, which made its debut Sunday. Some students will have new principals — at 24 schools, to be exact.

Cobb is the second largest school system in Georgia, with almost 113,000 students and 114 schools. It joins Rockdale and Henry counties beginning classes today.

About 12,300 people in Cobb who aren't happy with the early start date have signed an online petition to show their disapproval.

But students are back and some are coming for the first time.

Read more about the first day of school in Cobb on myAJC.com.

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