TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Students and staff members at eight Vigo County elementary schools returned to the building full time for in person learning Monday.
Those schools include Deming, Franklin, Hoosier Prairie, Lost Creek, Riley, Sugar Grove, Terre Town and West Vigo Elementary.
This comes after students who chose in-person learning operated on the district’s A/B schedule.
Teresa Stuckey, principal at Sugar Grove Elementary, said she was excited to see the students’ faces when they returned.
“The kids are excited and we’re relieved that we can have eyes on them. We are worried about them on their days off. Are they being fed? Socially and emotionally, are they okay? We’re just really glad to have them here,” Stuckey said.
Students are wearing masks, practicing frequent hand washing and socially distanced with their desks 6 feet apart while in the building.
Bill Riley, Communications Director for Vigo Co. School Corporation, said following the guidelines will allow students and staff to remain in the classroom.
“We’ve had 6 weeks of school so far and we don’t want people to get complacent,” he said. “This pandemic is not over from the school corporation standpoint or from a community standpoint. We really need help from our community to mask up, stay distant, stay home if you can so our children can have school.”
Some students are still in the district’s hybrid or virtual model.
Stuckey said she expects at least a dozen students to return at the beginning of the next grading period.
“Hybrid students are struggling, even more than those who were on the A/B schedule. So even hybrid students are coming back. We worry about them because we haven’t seen them or been able to check on them and we know they’re struggling with their academics as well,” she said.
Riley said their ultimate goal is to allow all students to return in person full time.
“We’ll see how this goes and then we’ll begin working on plans and seeing if we can implement them. I think middle school and high school are down the line. But it’s down the line, it’s not imminent,” he noted.
The district plans to make a decision on the other 10 elementary schools later this week.
