HOUSTON — It was a mix of excitement and jitters for many students Monday at Aldine and Alief ISD.
Both school districts started gradually phasing in students back in the classroom Monday since the beginning of the pandemic.
"Yes, they are very excited. I never thought in my 35-years I would see kids so excited to get back to school," said HD Chambers the superintendent at Alief ISD.
Alief brought in their special education students. Aldine allowed their special education, Pre-K, recent immigrants, 1st, 6th, 9th and 10th graders back to the classrooms.
"It reminded us that in the wake of all this chaos there are students that need us," said Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney the superintendent at Aldine ISD.
Both schools required all students to wear masks and social distance while in the classrooms. And they also have a plan in place to keep track of any COVID cases the school may have.
"We didn’t go through all this work to start school just to stop school. But we are prepared through containment and contact tracing," said Dr. Goffney.
The school districts say they will continue to gradually bring back more and more students every week. Aldine ISD said 30 percent of parents requested face-to-face learning while Alief ISD said 40 to 45 percent of parents requested to go back to the classroom.
But one thing is for certain, school districts across the board have seen a decrease in enrollment and superintendents are urging parents to make sure their kids get back to school.
"If your child is not engaged in school please get them engaged in person or virtually," said Chambers.