New London — Students stepping off their school buses at the entrance to the city’s middle school were met by an imposing figure Tuesday morning.

New London police Chief Brian Wright, words of encouragement and fist-bump at the ready, was among the school and community leaders who had gathered to greet arriving students.

All six of the district schools opened for classes Tuesday following a year marked by a mix of in-person and virtual learning as the district attempted to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. This year starts with full in-person classes without the option yet of moving to remote learning.

“It was wonderful to welcome so many students and families back into the buildings this morning,” Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie said. 

“We have learned a lot through the challenges that COVID-19 brought and are prepared to support students in their academics and well-being. The community support shown this morning, as well as throughout the pandemic, is incredible," she said. "Our students are in good hands with a plethora of supports around them, both in the buildings and throughout the community. It is going to be a great new year.”

Students at the campuses of the middle and high schools are attending classes amid long-delayed but now underway construction projects. Returning high school students are the first to step inside the new addition, a new cafeteria and other revamped spaces at the school, part of a multiphase, $108 million project that will continue while students are in classes over the next several years.

The project will accommodate an expanded arts program with associated amenities such as dance studio and choral and band rooms. The work is slated to be completed in 2023, with students shifting to new spaces as work continues to modernize or rebuild existing classrooms and other spaces. The school will house a visual and performing arts magnet program for students in grades 6-12 and high school STEM and International Baccalaureate programs.

Work crews broke ground earlier this year on a separate $49.5 million project at the Bennie Dover Jackson Multi-Magnet Middle School. That project involves an addition and new classroom and outdoor spaces. That project is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

Funding for the construction projects dates back to an approval of $160 million from voters in 2014 in anticipation of the school district’s shift to an all-magnet school district and an influx of students from across the state. It is to be the first and only all-magnet public school district in the state.

The shift back to in-person classes was a relief for some but did come without some trepidation for New London couple Julio and Amy Feliciano. The two walked their 14-year-old daughter Madison to the front entrance of the middle school.

Madison had been doing well with virtual learning last year, Julio Feliciano said. He said he was concerned not only about the coronavirus because middle schoolers “are just gross sometimes,” but also bullying and their daughter’s safety. She had been the subject of bullying in the past, which has led to some anxiety issues.

While there is no option for remote learning at the start of this school year, district officials have said they plan to monitor local health data when making any decisions about a shift in the way classes are taught.

g.smith@theday.com

What You Need to Know

Masks are still required but school uniforms remain optional.

There will be no remote learning on the days school is canceled for inclement weather.

The school district has launched a Raptor Visitor Management System in all schools as another aspect of providing for safe campuses. Driver's licenses of visitors, contractors and volunteers in the schools will be scanned into a system with access to a national database of registered sex offenders.

The school district at 10:30 a.m. Friday will join with city officials for a ribbon-cutting for a new Birth to Age 8 Early Childhood Center at the former B.P. Learned Mission building, 40 Shaw St.