KUSD students head back to school

Brass Community School kindergartener Amil Vance was thrilled to finally start school – and join the rest of the kids – on Tuesday.

Maybe even a little too excited.

 “I’m happy, but also kind of sad because the way she just kind of brushed me off,” Amil’s proud mom, Arneisha Vance, said. “I’m glad she’s excited for school, but I still want her to miss me.”

Kenosha Unified, the state’s third-largest school district, welcomed over 19,000 students back to the classroom on a sweltering September day that felt plenty summerlike.

Despite the near-record heat, there were plenty of smiles at Brass Community School.

“This has been a fantastic start to the school year,” said Brass principal Joel Kaufmann, who begins his ninth year at the school. “It has gone really, really smooth.”

In conjunction with the first day of school, the Kenosha Police and Kenosha Fire departments made their rounds throughout the city, reminding parents to slow down in school zones and encouraging students to cross streets with caution.

 “We all know somebody that goes to school, whether it’s a brother, sister, niece, nephew … whoever it might be,” Kenosha Police Department Safety Officer Tyler Cochran said. “Get them to slow down in school areas. You probably drive that every day. Just make sure you’re going 15 miles per hour.”

Kaufmann said many of the parents are glad to have the students back in school and return to a normal routine.

For Vance, that routine now includes school for her new kindergartner.

“I feel very comfortable leaving her here,” Vance said. “I’m just sad she dismissed me so easily, but I’m also happy she did. It means she’s very happy to be here.”