Children get off the bus, with masks on, at Cleveland Hill Elementary School in Cheektowaga in 2020.

No more quarantines, no more masks – it almost seems like pre-pandemic times in schools this year.

Some students went back to school last month, and the rest will return by Wednesday.

And while it will feel a little more like school, there still are some vestiges of Covid-19 as students, families, teachers and staff try to recover. Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Tonja M. Williams said she's still encouraging Buffalo parents to pursue vaccinations for their children if they have not already.

While there will be an emphasis on catching students up to where they should be academically, just as much attention will be paid to their emotional well-being. Here's what you need to know: 

The pandemic brought attention to the air that we all breathe. Air in the classrooms should be cleaner than ever before, thanks to Erie and Niagara counties.

Erie County used some of its American Rescue Plan funding to purchase 12,500 air purifying units from Austin Air.

“HEPA-purified air is linked to improved test scores and respiratory health for students, and it is our great honor to be able to provide an optimal learning environment for all children in our community,” said Austin Air Systems president Lauren McMillan. Erie County supplied Austin Air filters for every classroom in every school.

Students in Niagara County also will be getting improved air.

“We’re going to be paying for all of them to replace filters for their entire HVAC systems,” said Niagara County Health Director Dan Stapleton.

Public school districts and private schools will be reimbursed for the cost of the filters, he said. Two districts also opted to have additional air filtering systems in their classrooms, he said.

Gone are the face masks, the 10-day quarantines and distancing. Parents don’t even have to notify the school if their child tests positive for Covid-19.

But schools are asking all students, teachers and staff to stay home if they are sick. If they test positive for Covid-19, they must stay home for five days. If they are fever free for 24 hours and symptoms are improving, they can return to school on the sixth day wearing a face mask until the 10th day. They don’t have to prove that they have tested negative.

Students do not have to wear masks on yellow school buses, but masks are required when riding on public transportation to get to school.

There always are delays in transportation on the first few days of school, as everyone gets used to new routes and new routines.

But many districts and private contractors don’t have enough drivers. The shortage has been evident for at least five years, but last year’s shortage caused havoc throughout the school year.

Without enough drivers, routes are combined, or the same driver does one route and then another.

"I'm concerned about it," BPS superintendent Tonja Williams said about the bus driver shortage. "I know at the end of the day the district is doing everything ... we're continuing to work around the clock. But I would be remiss to say I wasn't concerned."

While Buffalo parents should anticipate delays, the district is better prepared to look after students who arrive early or stay late. From improved after-school staffing to extended day programs and afternoon snacks, students staying late at school will be in good hands, Williams hopes. 

"Kids won't be sitting unsupervised or going hungry – we'll make sure that time is meaningful," she said.

Districts like Buffalo and Niagara Falls will still provide free lunches for every student, but federal funding ran out for universal free school lunches for all districts. That means parents in most suburban schools must fill out applications for their children to receive free school lunches, something they have not done in two years.

But school lunches remain a bargain, with most costing $2 to $4.

Students at Sweet Home elementary schools will continue to eat lunches in their classrooms for a third year. They started remaining in the classrooms because of Covid-19 restrictions, then stayed in them because of a space crunch. Principals told the board there will be concerted efforts to limit electronic devices and movies during lunch and to encourage movement of students, including eating outdoors in nice weather. There also will be an effort to stress cleanliness.

The mental health of children has suffered during the pandemic, and schools have used federal pandemic stimulus funding to hire more counselors, social workers and aides as they increase efforts to help children come out of the pandemic.

More emphasis will be placed on checking in on children’s mental well-being. The key is to provide joy, value and connection to all students, said Hamburg Superintendent Michael Cornell.

“We know that kids learn better and have a much better school experience when they feel valued as a person, valued as a learner, where they see value in the curriculum,” he said.

Some districts, like Cleveland Hill, are focusing on attendance to reach children on the edge, as attendance issues were exacerbated through isolations and quarantines.

“We’re seeing that the students we’re most concerned about being at risk of potentially dropping out in high school are the kids with attendance issues,” said Cleveland Hill Superintendent Jon MacSwan.

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Pioneer Central School District could pay nearly $400,000 to its former superintendent and high school principal, according to separation agreements the two men signed with the district. 

"I do wish they would hurry up and stop just talking about it and do something about it," said Anita Jones, mother of three Bennett Park Montessori students.

Sharon Belton-Cottman assumed the role of chairperson for the Conference of Big 5 School Districts, a lobbying organization representing the needs of urban school districts before state and federal entities. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul said that remote learning during the pandemic was a "mistake" that especially affected working women.

Superintendent Tonja Williams unveiled the tenets of her Strategic Plan for 2022-25, accompanied by the slogan "Equity For All In All That We Do."

Buffalo-area school districts trying to hire teachers are encountering something they’ve never seen in the public sector before: job candidates looking for the highest bidder.

Reimbursing parents 58.5 cents per mile is one of several solutions under consideration by Buffalo to address a severe driver shortage that is impacting schools across the nation.

Children get off the bus, with masks on, at Cleveland Hill Elementary School in Cheektowaga in 2020.

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