Millions of American kids will head back to classrooms in the coming days -- just after new pediatric Covid-19 hospitalizations reached an all-time high.

And that has many parents wondering what's safe as the Omicron variant sweeps the country.

"We fear that it's going to get a lot worse, between getting together for the holidays and then getting back to school," said Dr. Stanley Spinner, chief medical officer at Texas Children's Pediatrics & Texas Children's Urgent Care in Houston.

Some cities and school districts are taking aggressive new measures.

Months after Delta threatened the fall back-to-school ritual, COVID-19 is again complicating kids' return to the classroom.

Why it matters: While government officials worked to convince school administrators and parents over the last several days that kids could safely get back to in-person learning after the holidays, the reality on the ground amid the spread of Omicron is much more complicated.

Watch out, COVID-19, Eric Adams says he’s bringing “swagger” back.

On Day 3 of his mayoralty, Adams declared Monday that he’s bringing to the Big Apple a “swagger” that was “missing” during the COVID-19 pandemic’s doldrums under predecessor Bill de Blasio. 

“When a mayor has swagger, the city has swagger,” Adams boasted at Concourse Village Elementary School, where he was flanked by new schools Chancellor David Banks.