In 2005, six years after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado that left 12 students and one teacher dead and many others injured, Joe Pluta took a pledge called Rachel’s Challenge to help promote kindness, empathy, and positivity at the school he attended.

The first day of school on Sept. 4 brought a few more students to some local schools than there were this time a year ago, while others experienced a decline in enrollment. Officials across the public schools say the numbers will change before they report official data to New York State in October.