NAPOLEONVILLE — Assumption Parish is ringing in the new school year with some big changes for middle school students.

They will no longer have separate middle school campuses starting this year, when students go back to school on Thursday.

"The middle school — the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades — we took the seventh and eighth graders and combined them. Those kids are now going to be at the high school, and then we moved the fifth and sixth graders down to the primary school," Superintendent John Barthelemy said.

When approved earlier this year, the change raised concerns among residents and parents. Barthelemy says they have developed a plan to address it. One approach is that, while sharing a campus with high school students, the middle schoolers will be on a different side of the campus.

"We're going to try our best to keep our kids separated as much as possible. They will have different lunch schedules, participate in different activities such as sports and other events, and will not be on the same teams. Additionally, they will have different teachers, and there will be an administrator dedicated solely to the seventh and eighth graders. We also have different dress codes for those students," he said.

What will happen to the vacant school buildings is still up in the air.

"We’ve just begun conversations about repurposing those buildings or what we’re going to do with them. Our main focus right now is, clearly, getting school started and ensuring that our kids have the resources they need to succeed," he added.

Another concern is transportation, as students are now being bused from all over the parish.

"We’re not picking up kids any earlier than we did pre-consolidation, so we're not wasting more time or making students spend longer on buses. However, we do need to consider this change," Barthelemy said.

He believes the consolidation will benefit both students and staff.

"In addition to providing more resources for students — which includes better materials, supplies, and other necessities — we are also looking into interventions and placing interventionists at those schools. Additionally, we are exploring ways to better serve our students through activities. For example, when we combined schools, some sports teams, like football, didn't have enough players. Now, with more students, we can form full teams and provide opportunities for everyone interested to participate," he said.