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The city's one-million public school children headed back to class Wednesday and many said they felt prepared for whatever flu threat they may face.
Most parochial schools in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island also opened for the new school year.
The Department of Education opened 23 new school buildings this year – for a total of 13,000 school seats.
Many families spent the last night of summer vacation Tuesday shopping for school supplies. Most parents NY1 spoke with say they're ready for their children to hit the books.
"I'm excited because my son, you know, the summer was basically recreation all day long and it's just time for him to get back into that groove of his education," said one parent.
"I'm happy. So happy to get them out of the house," said another parent.
One thing on the minds of many parents is the H1N1 virus, which forced more than a dozen schools to close down last year.
"The swine flu is a very mild flu so far and while children tend to get it, the symptoms tend to be relatively mild," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "They might not feel great for a couple of days, that happens as you know with children, you get colds every year."
The city has already announced a plan to deal with the virus if it resurfaces this fall, including mass vaccinations. The city says school closings this year will only be a last resort.
"I bought them sanitizer, wipes for them to be constantly be washing their hands and when they change classes, how to sneeze and if someone's coughing stay away," said one parent.
"Once you leave one classroom, go into the bathroom and wash your hands, wash your hands the proper way. But some people at home don't teach their children that," said another parent.
At I.S. 238 in Hollis, Queens, where the school's assistant principal, Mitchell Wiener, became the first person in the city to die last spring from the virus, students this morning said they felt prepared to deal with H1N1.
"It's always going to be there," said Wiener's wife Bonnie, a teacher at the school. "But we have to teach, we have to live, right, but it's always going to be there."
Wiener announced last month her intent to file a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city, accusing officials of failing to report the outbreak in a timely manner. The City Law Department is reviewing the notice of claim.
Students said this year, parents and faculty have given them tips on ways to prevent the spread of the virus.
"Don't touch other people when they have colds," said one student. "When you sneeze, sneeze into your arm. And don't cough on anybody. They're really on me on this."
"I feel safe. I have my hand sanitizer," said another. "I have to wash my hands. That's it."
"They told me after you say hi to somebody, use your hand sanitizer after shaking somebody's hand," said a third. "When you wash your hands, use soap."
As the school year continues this fall, one of the most controversial issues could be the city's negotiations with the teachers' union.
The city's contract with the United Federation of Teachers is set to expire on October 31.
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said he wants to see some significant changes, including using student performance to help determine pay and tenure.
Yet with both Klein and new UFT President Michael Mulgrew standing behind him, Mayor Michael Bloomberg would not say Wednesday if he agreed with Klein.
"The chancellor is not going to negotiate a contract with the head of the UFT right here in front of you," said the mayor. "But I think that it's fair to say I have always believed in paying the city's work force, or my company's employees for that matter, as much as we can, and in return having them be top quality people who work very hard, who are flexible and always willing to try new things."
A UFT spokesman echoed the mayor and said the union would not negotiate in the press, and that bargaining had not yet begun. He said the union's preference is to get a deal done by October 31.
Meanwhile, a lot of parents were still trying to get their children registered for school.
The DOE set up Student Registration Centers in all five boroughs to help them.
The centers can handle transfers, new enrollments, and other school changes. Even if parents didn't always get the outcome they wanted, many said the overall process was pretty smooth.
"First I didn't have the birth certificates so I had to go and get the birth certificate and then when I came back they wanted proof of address," said one parent.
"We had to interview with the school. We had to come back to the enrollment office. We had to make sure there was room," said another. "You know the school is very overcrowded, so to try to get a seat is very difficult but we were able to do it and I'm very happy with the results."
"I'm going to bring the paperwork and I'm still going to try because I still have two other school options so I'm going to keep trying," said a third.
For more information on Student Registration Centers, visit schools.nyc.gov.