For most students waking up Monday morning marked notable changes to everything from riding the bus to passing friends in the hallways to sitting inside classrooms.
For districts, it marked a milestone in a marathon of discussions, debate, school board meetings, and changing safety requirements amidst the COVID-19 virus.
"More than anything they're just happy to be back," said Upper Dauphin Superintendent Jared Shade about his students. "And, really that's the goal is to reopen Upper Dauphin and have our students back in the seats with in-person learning."
Shade said Upper Dauphin had its health and safety plan approved by the school board in July and that its current plan does provide an option for remote education. He credited remote education opportunities for helping the school to naturally provide social distancing for students as there are not as many people in the classrooms, hallways, and lunchrooms.
"With that remote ed caveat and that option for children and parents we were able to socially distance and I think our plan really came through," said Shade.
The plan, he said, follows all guidelines set forth by Pennsylvania's Department of Education, Department of Health and the CDC. All districts across the state were required to submit their plans to the PA Dept of Education. Plans range from complete in-person classes to complete online classes or hybrid models.
"The first day of school is a day full of anticipation and potential really for all that students are going to achieve over the next school year," said Chris Lilienthal of the PSEA. "Our members were very excited about seeing their students again whether they're working with them in a virtual setting or in person or in a hybrid program."
Lilienthal acknowledged there is anxiety among some educators going into the school year and questions over what the year will bring. But, he said the bottom line is that educators are eager to be back with their students.
When FOX43 asked about how educators feel about the politics and debate that surrounded conversations over the school year, Lilienthal said "educators in general are held to very high standards of accountability and they take this job very seriously."
"It can be stressful certainly to have all of these extra responsibilities,to have that close watch from community and from politicians," he said. "What we like to say is that it's really important to remember that the safety precautions that are put in place in our schools are not political. They are designed to protect students and protect staff and their families back home."
For Shade, Monday morning was spent visiting schools in the district to make sure the district's plan was implemented smoothly. He acknowledged the challenge of keeping children socially distant and making sure they follow safety rules while at school. However, he said families realize in order to welcome students back to class they must follow the guidelines.
"Because of our remote ed option our enrollment is down in person so the hallways were not full," said Shade. "Now were they socially distant the entire time? No. But were they wearing masks? Yes. And it seemed like the students adapted and adjusted really well to that."
Shade stressed his main goal is to keep students healthy and safe. Overall, however, he said he views the challenges 2020 brings as an opportunity to grow and improve education as a whole. He said 'it's exciting for us.'
"I think we really have to look at this as an opportunity to learn and improve our public education system as it is," said Shade.
PSEA is currently calling on US Congress to provide emergency funding to education before the end of year as some school districts are facing revenue shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic.