All 64 schools under the School District of Manatee County opened their doors to students on the first day back to school. The schools that resumed the academic session also included the three campuses of Manatee Technical College.
Teachers, staff and school district leaders also welcomed 1,000 more students as the new academic year kicked off. That number was much higher than the district expected and has raised the total enrollment population to nearly 51,000 according to the superintendent of schools.
The superintendent said the district sees that growth as a positive boost and is ready to tackle another year amid the pandemic.
"The first day of school is wonderful, no rain, the children are all excited, their parents are excited because they are coming back to brick and mortar," said Cynthia Saunders, Superintendent of Schools for the School District of Manatee County.
"We're excited, we're excited to be back," said Nicole Williams, Principal, Oneco Elementary.
"Last year was my first year. The student, the teachers put in a lot of hard work and this year we are looking forward to all students being back on campus so we can continue our work," Williams said.
Many parents walked their children to the school entrance and handed them over to the school staff. While many looked forward to the first day of school, many others are still cautious and nervous.
"Very very nerve-racking especially when you don't come to the open house, so we are kind of just winging it here today," said Adriana Rico, mom.
According to school leaders, around 11,000 students joined the "Registered to Ride" program to allow them access to school bus transportation this academic year.
More than 100 bus drivers fanned out in the early hours of the day to 133 routes across the county to shuttle the students to school. However, the district is still in need of more bus drivers.
"We kind of knew that we were going to be short so we were prepared," said Orenthia Walker, Assistant Director of Transportation.
A day before school resumed, the school board kept its policy of optional masking for students but visitors to school property must wear a mask. Some of the children, and their parents wore masks as they came to school while some parents opted for their children to go mask-free. Schools would however continue other covid-19 protocols so students and staff feel safe.
"It's about the way we respond and we don't make it a big issue if they're not wearing them but everyone is safe in the classroom so whether that's social distancing shields students sitting apart that's what happens," Williams said.
"Our goal is to bridge those gaps and close those gaps and to make sure that students are back on the right track so they are able to matriculate successfully and ultimately graduate from high school," Saunders said.
The school district has more than 6600 teachers and staff starting out this school year. The school board would convene again on Wednesday to continue discussions about COVID-19 protocols.