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Sophomore year was trash. Junior year was trash. 

Maybe senior year would hold some promise, said Leeaisa Adams, a 16-year-old Ecorse High School student, standing outside the school on Tuesday, the first day back. 

For Ecorse students, much of last school year was spent online, an atmosphere that’s just not the same as in-person school, where Leeiasa’s friends surround her.

“It’s just the environment,” she said of returning. 

Back-to-school this year feels like a fragile dance: More students are back in person and many desperately need the kind of attention they can get only from face-to-face classes. But the delta variant still hangs over Michigan: Schools are reporting new cases every day, triggering anxiety and debates over masks and how to respond to inevitable school cases. 

It’s also unclear whether this year could lead to a repeat of last: Dozens of students quarantined at a time, with some districts switching back to virtual school at times.

Based on new Michigan Department of Health and Human Services guidance released Wednesday, it’s likely Michigan will not see scores of students quarantining.

There’s a lot at stake this year, as many educators fear students have fallen behind academically and are struggling emotionally. At Ecorse, Principal Michael Barclay darted from a hallway to outside to the gym as students started to file in. 

“It’s very hard to build a relationship when you’re virtual,” he said. “They log in, then check out.”