VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Today is a day a lot of parents might be looking forward to, even if their kids are not.
Thirteen Catholic schools across Hampton Roads are welcoming students back in the classroom.
This means summer vacation is officially over for eighth-grader Megan Robbins and her younger brother, sixth-grader Jacob Robbins.
“It’s a little hard to deal with the mask on," Jacob said. "And I’m a little nervous because I might get stressed.”
This new school year brings new challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Schools like St. Gregory The Great Catholic School have new safety regulations in place, like face masks and social distancing.
“I’m just a little worried that my friends aren’t going to be there," Megan said. "Otherwise I’m kind of excited.”
Some parents aren't too worried about the risk of kids getting sick.
“Yeah, I’m confident that they’ll do it OK. Just drop the kids off and they’ll do good,” said David, a grandfather dropping his two grandchildren to school. “It'll be great for everybody to get back and socialize. You know this epidemic was bad. We’re all gonna get back to work, we’re all gonna do OK.”
But a lot of moms and dads can't help but be concerned.
Matthew Carroll is dropping off his pre-schooler, Matthew Jr.
Carroll said parents got a look inside the school last week, where faculty showed them the new protocols.
“Definitely concerned but you can see they have their stuff together,” Carroll said.
“They had all the desks 6 feet apart, everybody had to wear a mask, wash their hands and stuff.”
In other Catholic schools across Hampton Roads, classrooms have fewer desks, students will wipe down seats between classes, there are touchless water fountains, and there will be more breaks in the day so that kids aren't spending too much time inside.