Photos: Back-to-school in Tucson during the pandemic

Teachers at Manzanita Elementary School greeted their students during a "Mustang Stampede" for the first day of school. Parents slowly drove students through the parking lot to safely meet their teachers and pick up remote learning packets for two weeks of school work. Today was the first day of online instruction for all schools in the Catalina Foothills School District.

Sixteen students showed up on campus for on-site care at John B. Wright Elementary School. Tucson Unified School District started online learning on Aug. 10 but opened select campuses on Aug. 17 for children in at-risk populations. Wright Elementary expected that 23 students would utilize the service, said Principal Deanna Campos. Students were escorted to classrooms where desks were placed 3 feet apart. They were seated at every other desk with masks and their computers while monitors and teaching assistants helped with technical questions and online school work. Students were given breaks in between online instruction for water and exercise. Hallways were lined with rope to direct foot traffic, along with signs to inform children, staff and families about social distancing. "Remember, 6 feet apart," was repeated often by many staff members and Campos as they escorted children throughout the school.