It's time for the house to quiet down again. Kids are going back to school this week.

In the Cooperstown district, enrollment is down. School superintendent Mary Jo McPhail attributes this mainly to a large graduating class and a small incoming kindergarten class. There are roughly fifty fewer students, she said.

The vast majority of policy changes have been directly related to Project SAVE legislation passed down from the state, McPhail said. These changes appear in the Rights and Responsibilities Code of Conduct, a document shared with all staff and students at the high school and middle school.

"It will be in their daily planners, which we provide," McPhail said. "Parents of elementary students can get copies by calling my office."

The Student Handbook, which describes the day to day functioning of the campus, will also be issued, she said.

"It's a very specific outline of expectations, behavior and consequences for infractions," McPhail said. "It's very clear. There should be no misunderstandings about what we hold important for student health, safety and welfare."

McPhail said there's always been a dress code in place, but the district is taking it a step further. Any apparel that may interfere with the educational process is out, McPhail said, including tee-shirts that contain print about tobacco, drugs, alcohol, or anything incongruous with the Code of Conduct.

The district's construction project is nearly done and will be ready for the opening day of school Sept. 4, McPhail said.

"The football field bleachers will be ready by Labor Day weekend. The auditorium seating will be done by the middle of September," she said.

There will be a switch to a district wide networking infrastructure soon, too.

"We were able to purchase the technological equipment because of the generosity of the Clark Foundation," said McPhail. "Coupled with the capital project, it was a tremendous boost. We're moving into the twenty-first century."

Milford Central School superintendent Peter Livshin said that the most significant possible change for the upcoming year is still just that: a possibility. The school board will be holding a special meeting Wednesday night to discuss changing a school policy about when after-school groups can meet at the facility. A former policy stated that political and religious groups couldn't meet on the facilities, Livshin said, but "the court overturned that policy and found it illegal."

The school board will be discussing changing the time at which outside groups can meet to 5:15 in order to reserve the cushion of time immediately following the school day for school-related extracurricular activities, Livshin said.

Like other schools across the state, Milford made changes to its Code of Conduct to accommodate Project SAVE legislation.

"It's very clear that after four classroom disruptions, a student is done in a classroom. That's a big change, and students will be made aware of it on the first day of school," Livshin said.

Enrollment at Milford matches last year's, he said, and two new teachers were hired this summer. Kathyrn Fisher will be teaching high school math and Susanne Coleman will be teaching middle school science. A construction project has commenced, "after all these years," Livshin said.

"They're out there bulldozing for a new soccer field. There will be a new track with all the appropriate pits, long jump and high jump," he said. "It's beginning now and there should be substantial completion by next August."

In Cherry Valley-Springfield, enrollment matches last year's, the building project is fully completed and three new teachers were hired during the summer, said school superintendent Thomas Marzeski.

"In following state guidelines, the dress code is a little more specific this year, in order to create a better learning environment and a safer environment for students," Marzeski said. "all districts across the state have incorporated these changes."

Marzeski said specifically no brief garments such as halter tops, tube tops, garments that are see through, or footwear that create a safety hazard will be permitted. Also, no students will be allowed to wear hats or headgear once they enter the school.

The three new teachers at CV-S include junior high science teacher Stephen McGahan; instrumental music teacher Judith Hall; and long term mathematics substitute Thomas Maine. Tuesday, Sept. 4 will be a conference day at the school, and a full day of classes are scheduled for Sept. 5.