Pittsburgh Public Schools students return to the classroom
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The area's largest district is back to school as Pittsburgh Public Schools students returned to the classroom Monday.
The first day of school is when everything finally comes to fruition for parents, students and teachers as they've been preparing for this for the past few weeks.
This school year is also going to be the first year of Dr. Wayne Walters' tenure as the Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent. Walters has served 30 years in the PPS school system and now he gets to lead them for years to come.
"Student voices are very important for me, so their voices are avenues for change," Walters said. "So of course I want to make sure their voices are heard, that they go from being invisible to invaluable for our school district to move us forward."
One of the things he has been praised for is navigating the system through parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is something he'll have to keep doing.
The school board has made the decision to keep masks on for the school year, but students will only be required to wear them when community spread is high in Allegheny County. Any other time is optional.
Athletes and performers won't have to mask up while playing or performing, and students who have been exposed to or are recovering from COVID-19 will have to wear a mask for a period of time, regardless of the community level of spread.
KDKA's Bryant Reed spoke with Melissa Pearlman, the Principal of Pittsburgh CAPA about a number of topics surrounding the first day of school.
"I love the first day of school. Seeing all of our students come back, they're happy, they're smiling, they're thinking about new beginnings," Pearlman said. "For us as an arts school, it's really about just celebrating why they come to us, being able to create art, make music, dance, sing, write, paint, and draw, it's something we've been a little limited with the last couple of years. Just being able to celebrate students as they come in and wide open smiles, hugs, and celebrations of joy of bringing them back for the school year."
Superintendent Wayne Walters and Mayor Ed Gainey welcomed students back for the first day of school at a number of campuses throughout the city.
Click here for a comprehensive guide to all things related to Back to School.
