ORLANDO, Fla. — Construction is causing some concerns for parents as the school year gets underway Monday.

Up until this weekend, it was unclear if students would even be allowed to walk the halls of Howard Middle on the first day.

The Orange County school district was waiting on a certificate of occupancy from contractors to allow students and staff into the school for the start of the school year, which they got.

But there is also a water main break construction project going on all around the school, causing concerns for drop-offs and pickups later in the day.

Last year, the district took on a $36 million renovation project for Howard Middle School, revamping the 100-year-old building’s roof, gym, media center and several other performance areas.

The construction has been going on for almost a year now, and officials were pushing a tight deadline to get approval for students and staff to safely return Monday. They finally got it this weekend.

But with construction and several roadblocks preventing direct access to the front of the school because of a separate, unrelated construction project, officials said even more caution is needed while navigating the area around the school Monday.

“I also want to talk about traffic safety and remind drivers in school zones and near schools to please drive with extreme caution," Orange County Sheriff John Mina said. "Every single year, we have at least one school crossing guard struck by a motorist trying to protect our children crossing the street.”

Law enforcement will be present before and after school Monday, helping to direct traffic around Summerlin and Robinson streets, which are mainly closed because of that construction.

The Orlando Utilities Commission said last week that the work should have been completed, with just some repaving in front of the school left to do, but as you can see, cones are still out, and signs indicate several roads are still closed.

OUC said the overall construction project should be completed by the end of the year.