LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens (WABC) -- More than a million public school students in New York City are entering a brave new world starting on Monday.
Schools were closed this week, but on Thursday, there were long lines in Long Island City, where more than a hundred students were picking up their laptops from the DOE to prepare for remote learning.
"There's nobody out here controlling the crowd," said parent Michelle Jackson.
RELATED: How Long Island's largest school district is coping with coronavirus
The line was even longer earlier in the day.
"It's too long. I been here too long, and I can't stand that long, and I been on the line and now I'm tired. So I'm waiting until the line moves up a little bit," Jackson added.
There is a school safety officer walking around, but he was not interacting with the crowd in any way. Earlier in the day, though, one parent says they at least tried.
"School safety, they come outside, and you know, tell people just keep calm and keep spacing, but you know these kids - they always wanna be up under each other, so you know, it's hard. That's all I can say. It's hard. It's a tough situation we're in right now," said Eugene Wright.
Meanwhile, Wright says he has a younger child at MS58 in Queens, and he said there it was much more orderly, and most people there did keep his distance.
INTERACTIVE: What we know about COVID-19 - US map, prevention, cases
Latest Coronavirus News
Latest news on coronavirus in New York and New York City
Latest news on the New Jersey coronavirus cases