On Tuesday, students at some of the state’s largest school districts will be returning to the classroom for the first time since before Christmas.

Staff at the high school in Union City spent Monday giving out home COVID-19 tests. They told parents to test their children ahead of the new school day.

Officials had about 15,000 tests to give out. They said that they hope it is another layer of protection from the virus.

Students have been remote learning since the start of 2022 as the Omicron variant surged in New Jersey. Principal Rudy Baez says that the students need to return to school because they need the interactions, technology can fail and many students are suffering from Zoom fatigue.

"Achieve those standards that they're required to achieve on a daily basis. It's exhausting for both our educators and our students,” he says. “I know I spoke to a lot of kids, they've emailed me, they've called me in my office. They are ready to come back. Most of them are ready to come back."

Schools in Jersey City, Newark and Trenton will also bring students back on Tuesday.