WESTPORT — A new academic year gets underway Tuesday in Westport’s public schools, and police officials remind the public that only students, school staff and authorized visitors are allowed on school grounds between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. whenever classes are in session.

The ban on anyone else venturing onto the town’s eight school campuses and adjacent athletic fields was enacted last spring to tighten security.

An appeal of the blanket ban, advocated by Police Chief Foti Koskinas and Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice, was rejected despite pleas by people who often walk dogs at the Wakeman Field complex near Bedford Middle School. Access to the Westport Community Gardens next to Long Lots Elementary School — similarly banned during school hours — also was raised as a concern during debate over the measure.

In a statement issued Friday about the security policy, however, police singled out the prohibited access to both facilities, noting the ban “includes Wakeman Park at Bedford Middle School, the community gardens at Long Lots Elementary School and all athletic fields on school property …”

School security officers and guards “will be monitoring these areas for compliance,” the police statement said.

Wakeman Town Farm on Cross Highway, abutting the Wakeman Field complex, is not included in the ban.

Police last week also launched a “Back-to-School” campaign on traffic law enforcement and safety education.

With the start of the new school year, officers will be on the lookout for speeders, distracted drivers using cellphones and drivers who ignore school bus signals, police said.

Police are “committed to protecting children from motorists who disregard Connecticut’s traffic-safety laws, especially around school zones and bus stops where students congregate,” according to the announcement.

Town officials approved the designation of “school safety zones” for all of the town’s schools last year.

Police also provided advice to both drivers and students/families about traffic regulations and safety measures. (The full text of the advisory is attached to the end of this article.)