Children from Years 1 to 10 are allowed back at school in Auckland, but with greater restrictions, including mandatory mask wearing for Year 4 children and older, staggered arrivals and departures and social distancing.
Most primary and intermediate schools are only allowing students to return part-time. Operating hours have also been altered to manage the number of people coming and going from the school at once.
Although some schools expect most kids back, others think few will return as anxiety about the virus remains high - despite all onsite staff now being vaccinated.
All Waikato students can return as the region returns to level 2 today.
Asthma New Zealand chief executive Katheren Leitner said the organisation had been contacted by a lot of parents asking for advice on whether they should send their children back to school and what they could do to make sure they were as safe as possible if they did return.
She told The AM Show Covid had not been proven to be a great a risk for those with asthma as those with other chronic conditions, but side effects such as anxiousness and stress could trigger the condition.
She said kids with respiratory issues also needed to be kept active.
It will also be the first time the impact of the Government's vaccine mandate is felt as some teachers will be missing from the classroom.
Leitner didn't envy schools having to explain why a teacher wasn't there, but thought honesty was the best policy.
Teachers also have to produce a negative Covid test before re-entering the school.
