ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -— Tens of thousands of children in Orange County are headed back to public school classrooms Friday, with a focus on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, in classrooms and on school buses because of the coronavirus pandemic, district officials said Wednesday.

Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins said the district is doing everything it can to get ready for the reopening.

“I cannot guarantee 100 percent safety,” Jenkins said. “But we believe we have processes in place to make it as safe as possible for our children, and we have procedures in place when cases appear.”

Everyone on the campuses must wear face coverings, and teachers will be provided both face masks and face shields to wear, though they can wear their own if they prefer. Teachers also will be given thermometers for periodic temperature checks.

Schools have stocked up with months of supplies of CDC-approved products and have hired temporary custodians, who will clean high-touch surfaces like door knobs and pencil sharpeners all day.

Access to campuses by parents and non-essential visitors will be limited, and students will be reminded to social distance.

Even with all these precautions, the superintendent said it is inevitable that coronavirus cases will pop up.

“The manner in which we manage those cases is probably the most important at this point because it’s inevitable that there will be cases," Jenkins said. "We are just preparing to handle them efficiently.“

She is working with the health department to help streamline the testing process and said she is trying to get access to rapid tests when needed.

Schools will not necessarily close for every case. The district has flow-chart plans that differ by scenario.

Only about a third of Orange County students are going back to school in person, but the classrooms themselves will still be close to normal capacity, Jenkins said. Desks and furniture will be spaced out, to give students 3-6 feet of distance between them.

Orange County Classroom Teachers Association President Wendy Doromal said it’s too early to head back to in-classroom instruction and teachers still have many concerns, including class size. 

“We are still getting emails saying teachers have students added to their classes in small classrooms,” Doromal said. “Some classes have windowless classrooms with no ventilation.”

School officials have not forgotten about the buses many students take to get to campus every day either.

Buses will be cleaned and sanitized after every trip and will be more thoroughly wiped down at the end of every morning and afternoon shift, district officials said.

Bus capacity will be limited so that each seat will hold only one student, district officials said. The vehicles will be loaded back to front to minimize contact by students passing one another.

District officials also encouraged parents to discuss social distancing at bus stops with their children.

Debra Rash, a bus driver for 35 years, said, “I think we have a great system. I think we will be fine.”

Rash said she has a grandchild of her own in Orange County schools and that safety, including sanitization,  comes first.

“You just feel that bond [with the students] and treat them like they are your own,” Rash said.