Pencils, notepads, masks, hand sanitizer fill backpacks in Manatee County on first day of school

BRADENTON, Fla. - If students were nervous, they didn't show it.

"I'm feeling positive that I will have a great day today," said Conner Burdette-Jordan.

Conner came ready for his first day of 4th grade at Ballard Elementary wearing a mask and ready to learn.

"I feel like I can keep it on," he said.

In Manatee County, 48% of the district's 50,200 students went back to school in person; 29% opted for full-time eLearning, and 23% signed up for a hybrid option of in-person classes two days a week and three days of eLearning.

Parents were as ready as they could be.

"A little nervous. [I] just hope all the kids will be all right, just pray and hope all the things will be OK with the kids," said parent Sam Jackson, who dropped his son off with some lessons taught at home.

"As long as they are keeping them with sanitizer and masks and stuff, I think they will have a good year," he said.

Inside schools, students in classrooms had a lot more space than years past. Some schools placed plastic barriers between then to keep students socially distant. Hand sanitizer stations were placed throughout buildings and extra lunch seating was placed outside on some campuses.

Around 12:30, Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said there were no reported exposures or cases of COVID-19 during the first day of school.

“Other than the masks and the protocols, the kids were excited. They were excited to see their friends, to be back and I just think they want their life to be as normal as possible and I think that’s what today brought them," said Saunders.

But not everyone made it back for the first day.

"My concern is that we don’t know enough about this virus, it’s just such a novel virus that we don’t know the long term effects and I would rather side on caution," said Tiffany Pepsin.

She took a leave from her job as a teacher in Sarasota County. After moving, her son and daughter were supposed to start school in Manatee County. Both are now enrolled in Florida Virtual School.

"As a teacher, I have that background and I realized what teachers were going to be going through in the classroom. Many will be teaching students in class and online at the same time. I just didn’t feel that it was the best for my kids," said Pepsin.

The decision wasn't an easy one, but Pepsin said it's one she and her children can live with.

"I'm worried for the teachers and students, I know that emotionally it is hard to have your kids home, but I know it will be emotional and I think it is when we have teachers that are being put in the hospital and getting sick. I think that would be harder on my kid and any kid than working at home," she said.