Thousands of Wake students return to school Monday

Students in kindergarten through third grade who are not enrolled in Virtual Academy will resume learning in-person daily, and students in fourth through eighth grades not who are not in the district's Virtual Academy will attend classes in three-week rotations to ensure more social distancing.

With safety first, Wake students will return to classrooms, some for first time in almost a year

School leaders say safety is top of mind, but not all parents and teachers are convinced this will work.

Brian Groesser, a Wake County parent of third, sixth and ninth graders, is relieved his kids are heading back.

"It's just good to get them all back," Groesser said. "It's a start. I feel really good for my youngest that she can be back and be back full time, and get the learning that I think she really needs."

A teacher who wanted to be only identified as Crystal worries for her own safety and the safety of her sixth-grade students.

"I think it's a mistake," she said. "Prior to opening, anyone can see this is not going to work without causing people to get sick."

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New lunch rules will also apply for students, including a timed 20-minute lunch break, social distancing and no talking while masks are removed. Some students will eat in classrooms to create more space in the cafeterias, and in high schools, off-campus lunch will not be allowed.

WRAL News asked viewers on Facebook page how they feel about a return to class and received a mixed response.

One parent chimed in saying, “Very excited! Mental health is so often ignored in kids.”

Under her comment, another parent says, “My children won’t be returning. I work in healthcare and the risk is not worth it.”

Groesser is confident a return to the classroom will work throughout Wake County.

"If we take it on a school-by-school basis; if one school is having issues, then yeah, close that school down and allow them to take care of those issues, but don't shut the whole county down," he said.

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