These Photos Show What The First Day Of School Looks Like Across The Country

Despite the Delta variant, children across the country are returning to in-person learning.

Over the past month, schools across the nation have welcomed students back for what many were hoping would be a "normal" school year. Since March 2020, districts have operated in a variety of nontraditional models including completely virtual classes and hybrid scheduling. But as intense school boards meetings make headlines, mask mandates — and bans on mask mandates — leave communities divided and the Delta variant of COVID-19 spreads nationally, the start to the 2021-2022 school year is still anything but normal. These photos show a range of emotions and give us a glimpse of how schools, teachers, and students across the country handled their first days back.


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