MCKINNEY, Texas — After three weeks of virtual learning, McKinney ISD students will return to campus on Thursday - and the first day of school also means the first day of transportation for students who take the bus.
District officials said nearly 64 percent of the student population will return to in-person learning.
Last week, district officials disclosed updated requirements that they say prioritize the health and well-being of students, drivers and monitors.
Those requirements include requiring masks for all riders. Drivers and monitors will be temperature-checked prior to entering the bus, buses will be sanitized in between routes, and the first row behind the driver must be empty.
A handful of parents met near the flagpole in front of the school district on Wednesday to say a prayer for the incoming students.
"Tomorrow is going to feel like the first day of school. Being online really hasn't felt real," said Melissa Carline, a mother to a fourth-grader in the district.
Carline decided her child will not take the bus for now.
"The bus fumes with the mask on? I just didn't feel comfortable with that," Carline said.
The district released the following statement:
"Parents should note that social distancing is not possible on buses due to the volume of riders, and parents with significant concerns about social distancing may want to consider other transportation options."
There are also fewer students on buses due to the number of families opting out of busing combined with the number of families opting out of in-person learning.
"We'll probably see the first three or four weeks what happens with all the mandates. We're just taking it step by step," Carline said.
Click this link to read the district's full statement outlining the district's bus policy.