JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Diana Greene called Thursday’s first day of classes, “an outstanding day.”
"We had many things go really well and that began with thousands of students making their way back to brick-and-mortar learning for the first time since March 6," Dr. Greene said.
However, she did acknowledge some technical errors with Microsoft TEAMS, the software used for Duval HomeRoom, the district’s online learning program.
Some students were having problems connecting to the website.
"For some classes, it wasn't populating the students. The students wouldn't see their classes when they turned on Duval HomeRoom. Because it wasn't populating, some students couldn't see their class," she said.
Greene says about 75% of the students using Duval HomeRoom didn’t experience any problems.
More than 40,000 students are enrolled in Duval HomeRoom, according to Greene, with 29,000 students riding the bus to and from school on Thursday.
Greene spent the day teaching inside a third-grade classroom at Loretto Elementary. She told First Coast News she did not encounter any challenges.
"The students responded as if this was a normal school day. All students wore their masks. I had very little challenges with them keeping their masks on," Greene said.
The district tells First Coast News out of the approximately 7,000 teachers, there were 172 teacher absences on Thursday, an increase of the 126 from last year.
A district spokesperson says that number includes teacher vacancies and absences that could include military leave and jury duty.
For mom Tiffaney Bray, who sent her son off to kindergarten, the goodbye was difficult.
"They came out and took his temperature from the car. They got him from the car and walked him in. I didn't really get to see him off and how he got to his class," she explained.
Shawn Pendry was back in the classroom at the LaVilla School of the Arts, even though some of his students were home.
He juggled in person teaching along with Duval HomeRoom.
"My seventh graders were physically in the space. My eighth graders who were also in that class were connecting with us digitally online to be part of the class. Then, we met the Duval HomeRoom students at the same time to make sure everyone who how their curriculum would work," he told First Coast News.