08/31/2026
Hello everyone.
This week marks the start of the 2026 - 2027 school year in the City of Haverhill for both Haverhill Public Schools and Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School. This marks the return of the familiar big yellow school buses, and increased amounts of children walking and waiting alongside the roadways throughout the city.
It takes all of us working together to keep the roadways throughout the city safe for children heading back to school by following these NHTSA recommended practices:
-When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school.
-When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.
-Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in neighborhood.
-Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops along your routes of travel.
-Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
-Learn and obey the school bus laws in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the "flashing signal light system" that school bus drivers use to alert motorists of pending actions:
-Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
-Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. As a reminder, all motorists traveling in both directions must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.
We hope everyone has a great school year!!
City of Haverhill Mayor's Office - Official
