Amanda Bynes Back To School To Prove She's Not A Fool

Amanda Bynes is back in action at FIDM in LA this year and one thing's for sure ... she won't let it end like last year.

Sources close to Amanda tell TMZ the actress started classes Thursday. We're told she's taking sketch classes to learn how to draw fashion pieces that can later be turned into real garments. She'll have a personal security guard to walk her around campus.

Another positive ... Amanda continues to live on her own in LA and gets frequent mental health therapy.

TMZ broke the story ... Amanda got the boot from FIDM last year after she allegedly showed up to class high and asked other students to do her work.