School is back in session at the NYPD Police Academy in College Point — with the first new class sworn in since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The group of 900 police recently announced recruits took the oath Monday before embarking on their six-month training.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea welcomed the diverse class of new recruits to the embattled department.

“You have all arrived here coming from all different walks of life… and you each take a different path together, but today, you join our family.”

The newest group of recruits is nearly double the size of the last group of 530 recruits that started their training in January of this year. Two planned recruit classes were skipped because of the coronavirus.

A total of 177 recruits hail from 40 different countries, including 29 from Bangladesh and 44 from the Dominican Republic. The group also has 185 recruits that speak 27 different languages. Fifty candidates from the group have served in the U.S. military and 107 were previously police cadets.

Shea was quick to address the issues of entering the workforce as a police officer amidst the many protests occurring across the city and country.

“You are also entering the policing profession at a very difficult time. A time of uncertainty — a time that it seems the eyes of the world are on us. There’s a national conversation going on right now about what policing should look like. I would say to you, don’t be defensive about it. Embrace it.”

Shea gave two pieces of advice to the new recruits.

“Treat everyone as you would treat a member of your own family. Everyone means everyone,” he said.

“Never, never ever underestimate the impact that you have on people that are calling you when they have no one else to call. You can literally change people’s lives.”

Shea also brought their attention to the honor of wearing the same badge that so many fallen officers had the privilege of wearing.

“The same badge that 23 members wore on September of 2001, as they raced towards the Twin Towers to save people they didn’t know,” he said. “And far too many more after September.”

The group of 900 includes two recruits that are children of fallen officers who lost their lives due to ailments from inhaling debris on Sept. 11. The sons of Lieutenant Brian S. Mohamed and Detective Joseph A. Cavitolo will begin their training immediately.

The average age of this group of recruits is 25 and the group is 76.2 percent male and 23.8 percent percent female. A total of 38.9 percent of the candidates are white, 33.9 percent are Hispanic, 13.3percent are black, 13 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander and 0.9% identified as other.

Shea concluded by thanking the recruits.

“On behalf of all of New York City, congratulations,” he said. “Welcome to the NYPD, stay safe, and I’ll see ya out there.”