BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - District leadership at Buffalo Public Schools welcomed back their students on Wednesday with a focus on keeping schools reopened for full, in-person instruction for all students.
"Our continuing mantra this year is to provide and equal and high-quality education to every student we serve," Dr. Kriner Cash said. "We're only going to do it when we work together."
Buffalo Schools welcomed back 43,500 students and over 10,000 staff members across its 81 schools, including their charter schools. Most students were physically out of school once the pandemic began in March 2020 and didn't return to the classroom until early February.
There remains challenges to not only keep children in school, but to get them there in the first place. Normally, the district has 667 bus routes for its student population, but because the district is down 150 drivers. Cash said there were another 30 drivers who did not report to work on Wednesday, meaning the bus drivers who did show up to work had to make a second trip to get kids to school.
Once children got to school, there were some instances of long lines outside of the entrances. The lines were because of the screening process to get kids in school, which included a questionnaire and temperature check. Cash said this was not a system-wide issue and it only affected schools with a smaller footprint.
"This is the first day," Cash said. "We're pressure testing that system as we go through."
Cash said he understands the concerns facing some parents but stressed the district has taken precautions to ensure student safety.
"We have enough science and enough of us have taken a vaccine and are masking," Cash said. "We want the parents to be confident. We say we want you to trust us. We want you to work with us so we can protect your child. The pain in the Black and communities of colors this past year has been extraordinary. We can't tell you how many friends, colleagues, and family members we lost last year. They died from this disease. There's where your trepidation comes in and your worry. We understand it fully."
