Parents and students should count on several changes this school year, which begins Aug. 8 for city and county schools.

Among them is a change to the Bowling Green Independent School District’s attendance policy. Students will be allowed five days of excused absences with parent notes and seven days with doctor’s notes per school year.

“This is an effort to reduce chronic absenteeism,” said Leslie McCoy, the district’s director of communications.

According to the district’s newly revised student handbook, chronically absent students are those who have missed more than 10 percent of the school year, or 17 days, either excused or unexcused.

The handbook, which highlights several other changes coming to the district this school year, is available online at the district’s website.

Additionally, the district will now communicate with parents via One Call Now, a messaging system that allows for both routine and emergency messages. The service uses data provided by parents through Infinite Campus, and parents can also download the mobile app version called My Call Now.

With the start of school just weeks away and open houses before that, the district is encouraging parents to register their students online.

“This is what we would call a win-win with online registration,” said McCoy, who described the system as an easy way to streamline the registration process for parents and allow schools to get student information efficiently.

Parents can fill out most back-to-school paperwork through the district website’s Infinite Campus portal and do so easily for multiple students. Once submitted, the district’s departments simply share the student’s information with one another.

Registering ahead of time through Infinite Campus will also allow students to enjoy a more seamless transition at their open house event. Schools will offer help with online registration at open house events for those who need it, however.

“We really think this is a great opportunity for students and parents to meet their teachers,” said Kyle McGraw, an assistant principal at Bowling Green High School.

During the open house, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 2, school officials will offer an update on how renovations will affect the school year, McGraw said. It’s also a chance for students to pick up their parking passes, Chromebooks, school supplies and get help with the FAFSA.

With the start of the school year, Warren County Public Schools will open its newest school at Jennings Creek Elementary. In January, the district’s school board approved revised school boundary lines to accommodate the new school and growth in other parts of the county.

Because of that, many students might find themselves at a new elementary school this year. For example, many students who went to Warren Elementary School now go to Lost River Elementary. Parents can check where their child will attend school online at www.warrencountyschools.org/Content/63270.

The district’s board of education has approved an 8:35 a.m. start time for Jennings Creek Elementary and changed the start time for Warren Elementary School to 8:15 a.m.

Open house events for Warren County Public Schools are available online at www.warrencountyschools.org/News/89457#sthash.8yEkPBuJ.dpbs.

Open house events for the Bowling Green Independent Schools District are available online at www.b-g.k12.ky.us.