PRAIRIEVILLE - With the first day of school for Ascension Parish creeping up, more than 1,300 students are expected to attend the new Prairieville High School.

A group of about 25 students will participate in a unique elective course that will prepare them to take on a bigger role in the community. It's called the Justice Center and it's an emergency telecommunications class taught by an instructor who has 20 years of experience in the field.

Criminal justice and emergency telecommunications instructor Ashlee Gautreaux has been teaching the course for the last three years at an off-campus site called the Apple Digital Center. This year, the course will be taught on campus at Prairieville High, but it's open to high schoolers across Ascension Parish. 

Students must be in good academic standing to qualify for the course, and Gautreaux says it's a big responsibility that is not for the faint of heart. After one semester, students will have earned an emergency telecommunications certification that can get them a job once they've graduated. 

"They'll be able to come join the Sheriff's Office if they'd like to but it also, the communication aspect of it opens them up to pretty much anything in criminal justice," Gautreaux said. 

The new course is one of quite a few changes students at Prairieville High will see this school year.

Ascension Parish Schools communication director Jackie Tisdell said the parish feeder system was altered, which took students from other schools and brought them to the new school.

"They had the option to choose," Tisdell said. "The only ones who didn't have an option are our incoming freshmen."

Students were allowed to stay at their original schools if they provided their transportation or chose to attend the new school. Bus routes were adjusted, which is why students who stay at their old schools will have to carpool, Tisdell added.

Another new element this year is air conditioning being installed on most of the parish's buses. 

School officials will also be cracking down on cell phone usage after a statewide cell phone ban was signed by Gov. Jeff Landry. According to Tisdell, high school students are allowed to bring cell phones, but they must be turned off and put away in their backpacks for the entire school day.

"We're excited to see how our students might be able to learn more interpersonal skills during lunch, before and after classes," Tisdell said. 

For after-school events and functions like graduations, parents will also be asked to bring clear bags. More specific guidelines will be sent home with students once school starts, Tisdell said.

The official first day of school in Ascension Parish is Aug. 8.