CENTRAL - The first day of school is almost here and Central High School expects 1,550 students to walk through the front doors Thursday.  Superintendent Jason Fountain says they're focusing not only on keeping their students safe but having them enjoy their years in the school system.

"People say Christmas day is their favorite day. Well, the first day back at school is my favorite day, so we just cannot wait for our children to walk back through these doors Thursday," Fountain said.

Student athletes can expect new renovations to the high school, including an upgraded weight room and meeting room for them. Fountain says overall, he feels the schools are where they need to be, and now they're focusing on improving.

"We have a lot of things in place, we're just continuing with the great programs that we've had," he said.

Security has been bumped in the schools, it's something Fountain says is essential and they're constantly working to improve the security every year.

"We have a single point of entry for all of our schools, so it makes it more secure from that standpoint," Fountain said. "Last year we had state police come in and go through with a fine tooth comb to tell us the things we can do. Our number one objective in the school system is to provide a safe environment in the schools."

Students and parents can look forward to a smooth start to the new school year, despite first day difficulties like traffic and confusion, students who take the bus can expect everything to be in order.

"Every bus is air conditioned, they're not over 5-7 years old so we're in very good shape with our buses."

Like many Louisiana schools, Fountain said the question of what Central schools will do about the recently passed law that requires the Ten Commandments to be posted in public classrooms lies in higher hands.

"Right now we're following the guidance of our attorneys, and we're just waiting to see what they guide us to do," he said.

Fountain has been Central's superintendent going on 7 years, he said each year he gets more excited to welcome the students back.

"The first day of school is the day these schools come to life, our goal in this community is to make this community proud of their school system. We're starting our 18th year and we're going to open our arms wide open for this community on Thursday," Fountain said.