It's back to school in Boston for the more than 50,000 students who attend public school in the city.
"It's great for me and I love it and I'd like to stay here forever!" said third grader Emma Osbina.
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But mixed in the with excitement of the new school year, there's definitely some apprehension among parents in light of the latest school shooting Wednesday in Georgia.
"It's really hard because you're thinking about your kids, you're thinking about — you’re in the house, so maybe you are worrying, you are supposed to be good because they are at school," said parent Iris Dominguez.
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"You think, 'Oh, what if that was my child,' you know? But all I can do is pray for them and I'm just happy, you know, our school system has a plan," said parent Larae Robinson.
Superintendent Mary Skipper said that plan is multi-faceted, including coordinated emergency management, de-escalation and trauma training, as well as an investment in emotional and mental health supports.
"We know that the students most at risk for these kinds of behaviors tend to be those that do not feel a place in the school system, they feel disengaged, they do not feel connected," said Skipper.
That's part of the reason why the superintendent, mayor and dozens of volunteers went door to door on the eve of the first day of school to connect with students and families.
This school year, they're also continuing to tackle chronic absenteeism, reduce distractions with cell phone pouches at 50 schools and improve transportation with fully staffed busing and an app for parents to monitor their child's bus.
"We're really in a very solid place with the start of this school year," said Mayor Michelle Wu.
Meanwhile, the mayor said they continue to work to reach a contract agreement with the teachers' union, as the school year gets underway.
