HARTFORD, Conn. — It was the day that many students and parents from Hartford Schools have been waiting for a while.
On Monday morning, schools in the state’s capital transitioned back to full-time, in-person learning for students in Pre-K to grade 9.
“They are looking forward to it, they are excited to come back, see their friends, and to interact,” said Jeremias Deliz, as he dropped off his daughter at E.B. Kennelly School
Deliz said after months of juggling hybrid learning, it’s a game-changer to have his daughter back in class five days a week.
“That is awesome, I think it gives us more flexibility to be able to do what parents need to do to be able to survive,” he said.
Kennelly Principal June Cahill is also welcoming the move.
“There’s lots of excitement today that they get to be back with their teachers five days a week,” she said.
Right now, only about half of Cahill’s 600 students are part of the 5-day option and she hopes to bring more back to campus as COVID-19 conditions improve and parents get more comfortable with the idea.
“To have that daily contact with our students, they were doing the best job they could from home, but we all know they are going to do so much better back in the building,” she says.
On the FOX61 Morning News, the district’s superintendent, Dr. Leslie Torres Rodriguez shared plans to get teachers vaccinated.
“We are ready to go. We actually have a plan to start vaccinating Thursday and Friday of this week. We are hoping to vaccinate 1500 of our staff,” she said.
Its staff Deliz is glad his family is seeing in person as he gave a back-to-school pep talk to his daughter on the first day of March.
“Most of all is to take her time, gradually get back into the routine of things, and I think she will do great,” he said.
Hartford students in grades 10 to 12 are continuing with the hybrid model and families who chose full-time remote learning will stick with that approach for now.