The 2026-27 school year starts back Aug. 3. for Cherokee County students. And if you are in and around Canton, you certainly have noticed that the new Cherokee High School construction is complete and the campus is ready to welcome students next week!

While we are excited about the opening of the new school facilities, we are also anticipating heavy traffic and delays in the surrounding area, especially in the first few weeks of school as student drivers and families learn how to best navigate around the campus.

Here are some things we would like everyone to keep in mind:

 School starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. for both Teasley Middle and Cherokee High; if at all possible, avoid this area an hour before the start and an hour after the end of the school day, as those are the times of increased traffic in the area.

 The Teasley Middle School Zone is located on Reservoir Drive, with a photo-enforced speed limit of 35mph during school hours. The Cherokee High School Zone on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard will officially be designated in the coming weeks.

 We emphasize the importance of being hands-free and free of other distractions when driving in the area as we all learn how the traffic will flow and new patterns will form for this part of the City.

 In the previous school year, the Cherokee County School District installed cameras on all buses to enforce traffic stopping at bus pickup and drop off locations. Those will be in effect once again, and will impose hefty fines for those that do not obey the law.

 Canton PD and City Leadership will work with our partners at CCSD and the Georgia Department of Transportation to review traffic patterns over the first two weeks, checking in frequently, and consider any signal timing changes necessary to improve traffic flow.

 Please be patient with other drivers! There will be many young drivers and those learning the best route to take for their school or work day. We can all get through this together.

If you have any questions about navigating the Cherokee High campus, you can learn more here: https://www.cherokeek12.net/post-detail/~board/ccsd-comms/post/traffic-flow-maps-for-new-home-of-cherokee-hs