Pittsylvania County students are heading back to class on Tuesday, and this year brings some changes.

Dr. Mark Jones, superintendent for Pittsylvania County Public Schools, said they are finally turning the corner and getting back to a normal school year.

First, COVID-19 policies will be less strict.

Jones said classrooms and cafeterias are back at capacity. There will also be no synchronous virtual learning for students out with COVID this year.

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Another big change: school safety.

"We're digitizing our school maps . Now a deputy drives on campus, they have their laptop in their vehicle, they can access the digital map of the school on their laptop," Dr. Jones said.

This year, deputies will also have access to the school cameras, so they can see inside of the building during emergencies.

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Dr. Jones said both of these new additions will give deputies quicker access in emergency situations.