Parent Diaries 3: Preparing Children For Return To School During COVID-19 Pandemic
RICHARDSON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - More schools will open their doors in the coming weeks, allowing students on campus for the first time in six months. The transition could be tricky, so we asked parents how they prepared their kids to go back to class.
"They are very nervous about it," said Krystal Hurst. The Richardson ISD mom has two sons in elementary school. She says during virtual learning she kept them on the same schedule as last year. "Starting at 7 a.m. they have breakfast and all of that, then they pretend to walk down to the school and then we come back and hop online."
Hurst said the boys are mostly concerned about masks.
"The idea of wearing it all day is a little intimidating and nerve-wracking," she said. "So we've emphasized wearing a mask - all your friends are going to do it, it's not like you're the only one."
Hurst said their teachers have talked about what to expect, like acrylic barriers and social distancing rules. Drop-offs and pick-ups are also different: teachers and staff cannot open vehicle doors, and parents aren't allowed inside the buildings.
The pandemic means kindergartener Wyatt Price will miss out on some of the traditional "first day" rituals. His mom, Megan, said she spent weeks talking about how things would look.
"I've had to start talking to him about how he'll go to his classroom by himself," said Price. "[So he will] know that we're not sending him to an unsafe place or environment, it's just new."
Price said they also practiced their routine over the summer.
"We would drive to the school, he would get out on his own, take his own buckle off. I would let him run to the front of the school on his own then run back and pretend that we were doing pick up."
Both moms said the talks and the practice gave the kids confidence for the first day.
Richardson ISD allowed in-person classes starting September 8th. Arlington ISD begins a hybrid model September 28.
