PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thousands of Philadelphia elementary school students are heading back to a classroom for the first time in about a year, as the transition to hybrid learning begins.
The School District of Philadelphia opens 53 elementary schools across the city on Monday for pre-K to second-grade students whose families chose hybrid learning back in the fall.
Superintendent Dr. William Hite and Mayor Jim Kenney were at Juniata Park Academy on Monday morning to welcome the kids back. Kenney says it was important to get the youngest students in the classroom for the first time in about a year.
"I’m confident that school reopening is another hopeful sign that brighter days and recovery do indeed lie ahead," he said.
Hite says it was critical for the doors to open again.
"We know that our youngest learners have been most at risk at falling behind, missing crucial in-person learning, during a critical time in their early childhood development," Hite said.
So, on a cold but bright, sunny morning, the students, masked up with their parents, walked up to the building, talked to staffers to make sure everything was okay, and then went to their classroom.
"I’m excited about meeting the teacher and starting to learn math and science," said 9-year-old Adrianne.
She's looking forward to seeing some important people -- and not through a computer screen for once.
"The teacher and my friend," she said. "I’m gonna make some friends at school, and I’m gonna fist bump."
Delaine, Adrianne's mom, feels good about the mask and distancing requirements, hand sanitizer stations and clear plastic partitions. She said she thinks her kids will be able to learn better in a classroom than at home.
"Obviously, I want to keep them safe but I don’t want them to fall back when school gets started up again. So, I made a personal choice to bring them to school," she said.
That type of in-person interaction is also what Sunday Rice says her grandson needed after being at home for so long.
"He gets bored. He starts playing with his fingers. Pencils start going in the air. And my grandson is a very good student here."
Reopening was supposed to take place in February but was pushed back as the district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers didn’t see eye to eye on safety concerns.
The teachers union had been calling on educators to be vaccinated first, even though the district and health officials said teacher vaccination was not a prerequisite for schools to reopen safely. The union was also alarmed by the installation of window fans in classrooms to improve ventilation. The union called on teachers to not report to school as initially planned on Feb. 8. The district brought up the possibility of disciplinary action. A mediator then got involved in the negotiations.
In the weeks that followed, the district, with the support of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, began a campaign to vaccinate teachers and school staffers. The window fans were also replaced with air purifiers.
"I feel very comfortable that schools are going to be safe and they will be ready for young people and for the staff," PFT President Jerry Jordan said to NBC 10.
Mask wearing and social distancing will be enforced in the schools. Rapid testing will also be available for students and staff.
The district is using a phased approach: 45 more elementary schools will reopen for hybrid learning for pre-K through second grade on Monday, March 15, and more will follow on subsequent Mondays for the rest of the month. Beyond that, the superintendent said the district would follow city health department and CDC guidelines for the rest of the grades. Hite said it was not clear yet if high schools would open by the end of the school year.