LIVINGSTON - Livingston Parish Schools is ready to welcome back faculty and staff this Thursday.

The district, which consists of 43 schools, 3,800 employees and over 27,000 students, is also welcoming Jody Purvis, a new superintendent.

He says he is hoping to increase parental and community involvement during his time serving.

"I want us all to work together. I want us to have that clear communication. I want that student to come in and be excited to learn and I want to see those teachers showing that excitement and really working with those students. So I think the first day for me is all about let's get those students on campus, let's start the year, and let's start that positive learning culture that we want," Purvis said.

Purvis says safety is his top priority.

School resource officers are assigned to each school and some schools will have a security detail, and four schools have received grants solely for security upgrades such as more cameras and gate closures.

A new state law is also going to affect the school system.

Students must make sure they are on their best behavior because it now only takes three suspensions to face expulsion when it previously took four.

"We're gonna do some great communication with our families. We are doing that with our principles as well. For us, we want our students to be successful. We don't want to have to penalize for those cell phones. We want our students to understand the clear picture and then understand what we expect," Purvis said.

The parish is also welcoming a new building. Live Oak High School's new multi-million dollar Aviation and Medical STEM center is opening this year.

Here, students can jump-start their careers with hands-on experience in the aviation and medical fields.