On April 6, over 4,700 Pittsburgh Public Schools students will be back in the classroom as the district begins its phased return to in-person learning.
The students returning to in-person learning first make up the district's Support Category 4. They are either in PreK, Kindergarten or not demonstrating progress in online learning.
At a panel of district officials Friday, Superintendent Anthony Hamlet emphasized the importance of the district's safety measures.
"We're excited about our kids returning," he said. "Making sure all of our schools and classrooms are social distanced, making sure that we have all of the protocols in place, I can't reiterate that enough."
At Pittsburgh Lincoln PreK-5, over 100 students are expected to return to the classroom on April 6.
Most classrooms in the school only have a 5-10 desks. Some desks have plastic shields. Hallways have signage on the walls and floors, reminding students to stay six feet apart and wear a mask.
Talisha Thomas has 18 fifth grade students, but her classroom has nine desks. The students are divided into groups of nine and will learn in person on different days.
"I think it will be very different for the kids, but everything is built to keep them safe so we can make it so they can come back to school," she said. "So, it's going to take some training."
The return to school at PPS follows a major effort by the district and the state to vaccinate teachers and other support staff. While PPS held some vaccine clinics on their own, they also partnered with Giant Eagle to offer a PPS-only clinic at Heinz Field earlier this month.
PPS Assistant Superintendent Dr. Rodney Necciai said the district is pleased with the response they've received to their vaccine effort.
"We do know that we offered vaccinations to all of our employees, and everyone who wanted to get a vaccine had ample opportunity, multiple opportunities to receive a vaccine," he said.
The district said they've reached about 80 percent of the families who have children in Category 4.
The next group of students, Category 3, are scheduled to return Monday, April 26. Those students are demonstrating "some progress" in online learning, according to the PPS website.
Hamlet said the district will also offer extended summer learning for up to 5,000 students to help fill any gaps in academics or socialization.