Hundreds Of Rocklin Unified Students Return To Campus Monday

ROCKLIN (CBS13) — Students in the Rocklin Unified School District were back on campus Monday as schools reopened with new health and safety protocols and a "distance learning" option. 

Nearly 1,000 students filed into Rocklin High School Monday morning after months away due to the coronavirus pandemic. Freshman Ashlyn Peard said she was ready.

"It will be nice to have one-on-one learning," Peard said. 

A lot has changed since classes were dismissed in March. There are, of course, mandatory masks, social distancing, and no lockers. Students are also required to wipe down their desks at the beginning and ending of each class.

School leaders tell CBS13 every room has the appropriate filtration systems in place, and the way students move about school will be different.

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Parents and students say they're ready for face-to-face instruction.

"I hope it's a little easier. Because on Zoom I couldn't really get the help I needed," Ishmael Martinez said. 

A handful of parents decided to send their children back to school on campus because they were concerned about the school district's distance learning model and what it provided for them academically.

One mother who did not want to be identified said the distance learning model is the bare minimum, not what she expects as her daughter prepares for higher education.

"That's what we're doing is preparing for college. So if you have that, if you can't do that," the mother said. "It's also not Rocklin High School. It's another company."

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The district said 181 students will attend Rocklin Virtual Campus, the online option for families who do not want in-person instruction. Outside experts teach the classes.

The mother said the school's academic standards trump her concerns over COVID-19. She hopes the protocols in place will be enough but students were already clustering, making her nervous. She was not the only one.

School officials have also set up a "Covid Hotline" for contact tracing and to make sure parents know what to do if their children develop any symptoms.