They’re back. Well, almost. Next week, those big yellow school buses will be rolling again along the narrow streets of Harvard. Motorists would do well to plan a little extra time and practice a bit of patience in light of the buses’ frequent stops. Anyone with a driver’s license should know the rule, but here it is anyway: all vehicles traveling in either direction must stop when a school bus displays its flashing red lights.

And it’s not just the buses. Many parents drive their youngsters to school, adding a mini rush hour to the town’s streets. Some students will be walking or biking or driving their own cars to the schools. All of this added vehicle and foot traffic adds to the potential for an accident.

We urge and remind all to drive even more carefully next week and throughout the school year, whether on the back roads or through the congestion in front of the schools. There have been accidents involving school kids and cars in the past few years. So let’s put down our cell phones and travel mugs and pay attention.